Long A: Conquer 9 ways to spell one sound with word list and teaching tips

The long A sound can be a tricky one for young readers. This is the drawn-out “a” as in “ape”. It’s one sound with a surprising number of spellings! This article will explore the 9 ways to write the long A sound and offer tips on teaching them to children.

What is the long A sound?

The long A sound is a vowel sound that stretches out the “a” pronunciation. It sounds exactly like the name of the letter. Also, it’s different from the short A sound in “cat” or the “uh” sound in “about”.

9 Ways to spell the long A sound

1. A as in baby – download word list

The letter “a” is used to spell the long A sound in several words. These words must be learned because usually when “a” is used, it has a short sound as in “apple”.

Examples:

• acorn
• apron
• baby
• basic
• bacon
• cradle
• crazy
• data
• fatal
• halo
• lady
• maple
• nasal
• naval
• paper
• radio
• shaky
• table
• wafer

2. AI as in train – download word list

The “ai” digraph often makes the long A sound in the middle of words. Enjoy these words in AI Stories.

Examples:

• rail, mail, fail, pail, nail, sail, tail, jail, snail, frail, avail, trail, detail, daily, tailor, sailor
• bait, wait, waiter, await, trait, faith, portrait
• paid, afraid, aid, raid, maid, laid, braid
• maize, raisin, praise, daisy, raise, waist
• aim, claim, proclaim

3. A-E as in cake – download word list

The silent “e” at the end (sometimes called “magic e”) helps the preceding vowel make the long A sound.

Examples:

• ape, cape, gape, tape, vape
• face, trace, brace, space
• bake, make, take, shake, cake
• name, frame, game, tame, lame, fame, same, came, shame, blame
• male, tale, pale, scale, whale
• plate, rate, state, rate, gate, fate, hate, mate

4. AY as in spray – download word list

The “ay” digraph usually makes the long A sound at the end of one-syllable words.

Examples:

• may
• say
• pay
• tray
• play
• day
• way
• stay
• sway

5. EY as obey – download word list

Less common, “ey” can sometimes make the long A sound.

Examples:

• they
• obey
• whey
• grey
• prey
• survey
• hey
• convey

6. EI as in reindeer – download word list

An even less frequent way to spell the long A sound is with “ei”.

Example:

• rein
• reindeer
• vein
• seim

7. EA as in steak – download word list

“Ea” can be a bit of a troublemaker, sometimes making the long A sound (as in “break”) and sometimes a different sound entirely (as in “head” and “beat”). Be sure to learn them all in EA Stories!

Example:

• great
• break
• steak

8. EIGH as in eight – download word list

This combination called a tetragraph usually makes the long A sound.

Example:

• eight
• weigh
• weight
• neigh
• sleigh
• freight
• neighbour

9. AIGH as in straight

This tetragraph is the least common way to spell the long A sound.

Example:

• straight
• (fraight, quaigh) not common

Tips for teaching long A words: Engaging young learners

Conquering the long A sound can be an exciting adventure for young readers! Here are some tips to make learning fun and effective:

Visual power

Flashcards: Create flashcards with pictures and words containing the sound. Let children manipulate them while saying the word and identifying the spelling pattern (a, ai, etc.).

Matching games: Design games where children match pictures to words or words with the same spelling pattern.

Colourful charts: Construct colourful charts with different sections for each spelling (a, ai, etc.). Add pictures and words to each section, creating a visual reference guide.

Phonics fun

Sound it out: Break down words into their individual sounds. Have children manipulate letter tiles or blocks to build the sounds and then blend them together to form the word.

Silly sounds: Make silly sounds to represent the targeted sound (like a motor vehicle “aaay!”). Encourage children to identify the long A sound in words using this silly sound.

Interactive songs: Find or create songs that emphasise the sound. Singing reinforces pronunciation and makes learning enjoyable.

Games galore

Bingo blitz: Create bingo cards with words with the sound you want. Call out words, and children mark them off if they have them. The first to complete a row or card wins!

I Spy: Play “I Spy” with a focus on words with the targeted sound. Take turns describing objects around the house or in a book that contain the sound.

Rhyme time: Play rhyming games where children have to come up with words that rhyme with a given word with the sound. This reinforces sound recognition and vocabulary building.

Sorting it out

Category champions: Divide children into teams and provide them with a mix of words. Each team sorts the words based on their spelling pattern (a, ai, etc.). The team with the most accurate sorting wins.

Fishing frenzy: Create “fishing rods” out of sticks and string. Make paper fish with words written on them. Children can “catch” the fish and sort them by spelling pattern.

Reading rainbow

Shared reading adventures: Read aloud books with plenty of long a words, emphasising the sound and pointing to the words as you read. Encourage children to participate by sounding out words or identifying the spelling pattern.

Decodable delight: Use decodable books specifically designed to practise words. These books have a controlled vocabulary with a high concentration of long A words, making it easier for children to decode and build confidence.

Reader’s theatre: Turn favourite word books into short reader’s theatre plays. Children can act out the story, further solidifying their understanding of the words.

Conclusion

By understanding the different spellings and using these teaching tips, you can help children master the long A sound and become confident readers. This newfound skill unlocks a whole new world of words for them to explore. As they encounter words in books and everyday life, they’ll be able to decode them with ease, boosting their reading fluency and comprehension. The journey of conquering the long A sound is not just about learning letters and sounds; it’s about fostering a love for language and the joy of independent reading. So, get creative, have fun, and watch your young learners blossom into confident readers, ready to tackle any long A word that comes their way!

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See also:

Rime vs Rhyme: Learn the difference with this guide and 10 fun books

AI words: Download 5 free worksheets with this vowel team

AI in words: 7 lists of rimes for spelling activities

EA words: Download 5 free worksheets with this vowel team

EA in words: 15 lists of rimes for spelling activities

EI words: Download 5 free worksheets with this vowel team

EI in words: 8 lists of rimes for spelling activities

EIGH words: Learn 2 English sounds with these word lists

EY words: Download 5 free worksheets with this vowel team

EY in words: 5 lists of rimes for spelling activities

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