Short a Sound Word List Printable Activities and Worksheets

It is important for children to know their short vowels. These a words lists are perfect for your classroom use. Need some FUN activities for your short a sound word list? Vowels are these are the five letters that make up the majority of words in an English language. They are a, e, i, o and u.

As an educator with a passion for fostering early literacy skills, I have found that teaching short ‘A’ words is a crucial step in helping young learners develop a strong foundation in reading. In this article, I will explore the world of short ‘A’ words, providing a comprehensive list, strategies for teaching the short ‘A’ sound, and even a downloadable Short ‘A’ Words Poster in PDF format.

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A Sound Words List

The short vowel sounds are represented by letters a, e, i, o and u. These letters represent the sounds that these vowels make when they are at the front of a word or syllable.

The letter y represents a vowel sound that is not one of these five short vowels.

Phonics is the understanding of the different sounds that letters make. Vowels are a type of sound in English.

Vowels come in 5 different sounds:

a, e, i, o, u.

What is a List of Short ‘A’ Words?

To begin our journey into teaching short ‘A’ words, it’s essential to understand what these words are.

Short ‘A’ words are those where the vowel sound is pronounced as /æ/, such as in “cat,” “bat,” and “fan.” Here’s a list of short ‘A’ words to get you started, although these are the harder ones, they’re great for higher grades:

• ax
• aw
• ac
• abider
• ante
• ad
• apple
• ae
• arrow
• angelic
• adjustment
• amusement
• achievement
• ambulance
• abandon
• apron
• attraction
• scrabble
• airplane
• ai
• ache
• astonishment
• abdomen
• aquarium
• adventure
• acclaim
• ally
• affection
• airport
• ale
• altar
• aroma
• academic
• acres
• alligator

What are the 5 sounds of a

The letter a has five different sounds in English: short A (as in “cat”), long A (as in “cake”), schwa A (as in “sofa”), broad A (as in “father”), and r-controlled A (as in “car”).

What are the phonic words for a?

So, let’s dive into the wonderful world of phonics, specifically focusing on the letter ‘a’. Now, when we talk about phonic words for ‘a’, we’re looking at words where that sneaky little letter makes its unique sound.

So, here are some cool ‘a’ words that can get your kiddos buzzing with excitement: cat, bat, hat, rat, mat, sat. See what we did there? The ‘a’ in these words sounds like the ‘a’ in apple or ant. It’s that short and snappy sound that we often find at the beginning of words.

And hey, don’t forget to make it fun! You can draw pictures or use props to bring these words to life. Imagine a cat wearing a hat while sitting on a mat – now that’s a vivid image that’ll stick in those little minds.

Let’s explore some phonic words for the letter ‘a’! When we talk about the sound of ‘a’, we usually have two main types: short ‘a’ and long ‘a’.

For short ‘a’, think of words like:

• cat
• bat
• hat
• rat
• mat
• sat

In these words, the ‘a’ has that quick, crisp sound, like in “apple” or “map”.

Long A Words

When we hear the long A sound, they are usually long a words.

Now, for long ‘a’, you can find it in words like:

• cake
• bake
• lake
• rake
• make
• take

In these words, the ‘a’ has a longer and more stretched-out sound, like in “apricot” or “acorn”.

Feel free to mix it up and make it engaging for your learners! 📚✨

How to Teach Short ‘A’ Sound?

Teaching the short ‘A’ sound can be a fun and engaging process for young learners. Here are some effective strategies to make the learning experience enjoyable:

1. Phonics Games: Incorporate interactive phonics games that focus on short ‘A’ words. Games such as “Short ‘A’ Word Bingo” or “Short ‘A’ Word Memory” can make learning enjoyable while reinforcing the new vocabulary.
2. Word Families: Explore word families that feature short ‘A’ words. Create word family charts or use interactive activities that highlight words with the same ending sounds. For instance, words like “cat,” “bat,” and “rat” belong to the ‘-at’ word family.
3. Read-Alouds: Utilize children’s books with a plethora of short ‘A’ words. Reading aloud not only exposes children to the correct pronunciation but also enhances their comprehension skills.

Teaching Phonics Vowel Sounds

Teaching phonics vowels is an important skill for many children to learn. It helps them with reading, spelling and writing.

There are many different ways to teach phonics vowels. One way is through a letterbox lesson:

A letterbox lesson can be used to teach the phonics vowels by dividing the alphabet into three sections: A-E, F-J, K-O. Children can be asked to find each vowel in the first section and then move on to the next section when they are finished.

It’s also possible to teach the vowels through a song or rhyme:

Here’s one example of a song that teaches phonics vowels: “I’m a little white bunny/And I like green eggs and ham…

I personally LOVE teaching phonics through songs and hands-on printable games like this one where students build the words:

What are words that start with a?

Sometimes, we just need a few words to illustrate the sound a. Here is a list of some words that start with a. 

1. Apple

2. Adventure

3. Alligator

4. Amazing

5. Atmosphere

6. Acoustic

7. Artist

8. Attitude

9. Anchor

10. Apartment

11. Assemble

12. Alphabet

13. Assertive

14. Absorb

15. Ample

16. Aroma

17. Ancient

18. Admire

19. Argument

20. Adept

21. Avalanche

22. Astronaut

23. Adorable

24. Agreement

25. Accessible

This is just a small sample, and there are countless more words that start with the letter “A.” Feel free to explore and expand your vocabulary with words from various categories and contexts.

What are 50 words that start with a for kids?

1. Apple

2. Ant

3. Airplane

4. Adventure

5. Alligator

6. Astronaut

7. Acorn

8. Arrow

9. Angel

10. Animal

11. Apricot

12. Acoustic

13. Anchor

14. Attic

15. Alphabet

16. Aquarium

17. Amuse

18. Artist

19. Autumn

20. Awake

21. Action

22. Amazing

23. Balloon

24. Butterfly

25. Banana

26. Beach

27. Bear

28. Bicycle

29. Bird

30. Blue

31. Book

32. Bug

33. Ball

34. Baby

35. Boat

36. Bubble

37. Bakery

38. Basket

39. Bell

40. Block

41. Busy

42. Bright

43. Button

44. Castle

45. Candy

46. Cloud

47. Color

48. Cupcake

49. Cat

50. Car

These words are chosen to be simple and engaging for young children, making them suitable for early literacy and vocabulary development.

Short a Sound Word List

Here’s a list of short a CVC words you can use with your students starting to learn all about short vowel sounds:

bat, cat, fat, jab, lab, nab, bad, dad, had, bam, dam, ham.

The list included in this FREE set below are:

am

at

sat

man

dad

mat

These letter words are important to teach. 

Short ‘A’ Words Poster PDF:

To further assist educators and parents in teaching short ‘A’ words, I’ve created a visually appealing Short ‘A’ Words Poster in PDF format.

This downloadable resource includes the list of short ‘A’ words along with colorful illustrations to aid memory retention.

Feel free to print and display it in your classroom or use it during at-home learning sessions.

[Download the PDF download here]

How to use this set of phonics CVC short a words:

Print the pages you want to work on. It includes a poster where you can add to the board or to a file folder:

You can also print out the rest of the printables to use throughout the week where students will trace the word with help then eventually independently.

More CVC Words Activities you might like:

• 10 Brilliant Low Prep CVC Activity Sheets for Any Kindergarten or Special Education Classroom
• CVC Words Kindergarten Rhyming Worksheets Hole Punch Cards!
• CVC Worksheet Reading Dice Game School Theme
• CVC Rhyming Words Distance Learning Boom Cards

CVC Words Short A Centers

Teaching short ‘A’ words is an essential step in the early literacy journey of young learners. By incorporating interactive activities, word families, and engaging read-alouds, educators and parents can create a positive and effective learning environment. 

The downloadable Short ‘A’ Words Poster serves as a valuable tool to reinforce these foundational skills. 

As we empower children with the ability to master short ‘A’ words, we set them on the path to becoming confident and proficient readers.

Download your FREE set below. Please note however that:

• This is for personal and personal classroom use  (to share this resource, please direct others to this post to grab their own free copy)
• This may NOT be sold, hosted, reproduced, or stored on any other site (including blog, Facebook, Dropbox, etc.)
• All materials provided are copyright protected. Please see Terms of Use.
• Graphics Purchased and used with permission

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