Short A Words

Vowel sounds come in two varieties: long vowels and short vowels. When it comes to decoding words, beginning readers most frequently start with short vowels. Why? For a few reasons. First, because they are the most common vowel sounds. But short vowels also have fewer spelling variations. That makes it easier to master the sounds before moving on to the more complex long vowels. Some short vowels have multiple common spelling patterns, while others only have one, such as the Short A sound. Let’s take a closer look at the Short A words.

The Short A sounds like the word "apple." 

Children who are just beginning to read and decode words are most likely to encounter the Short A in CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. Some examples of Short A CVC words include cat, lab, bad, and gag.

Below are more examples of Short A words. For Short A word lists and Short A activities, see the activity section after this article.

Children learn to read by blending sounds together. One of the best ways to work on this skill is through the introduction of word families.

A word family is a set of words that share a common feature. For early readers, that common feature is typically the ending sound of the word.

Below is a list of Short A word families to begin with:

• -ab
• -ad
• -ag
• -am
• -an
• -ap
• -at
• -ax

Pro Tip: Although words containing “ar” seem like they should be Short A words, they actually fall under a unique category called “r-controlled vowels” that are neither short vowels nor long vowels. The letters "aw" are considered a vowel team, and make a different sound than Short A.

As children’s abilities to blend letters improves, they may move into more complex Short A word families such as 

• -act
• -aft
• -amp
• -and
• -ang
• -ank
• -ant
• -ash
• -ask
• -ast

Word families may be presented as a list of words for a new reader to practice decoding, such as the one below.

Understanding the Short A spelling pattern is about more than being able to read a single word containing a short A. It is also about being able to recognize the sound a short A makes in a word. Begin by asking your child to read single words that use the short A sound. Then try stringing several words together to form a sentence. Below is sample decodable text using short A words:

• The lad had a tan cap.
• Jan had ham. Tad had jam.
• A rat ran at a van.
• Pam had a nap.

Note that each of these sentences features only CVC words. Once your child has mastered reading CVC words featuring the short A sound, try introducing short A sentences that feature consonant blends. Below are sample Short A decodable sentences using consonant blends:

• The trap snags a yak.
• Brand and Tad had caps.
• The crab grabs a clam.
• Dad and Jan had a spat.

Pro Tip: Writing sentences without the words such as the, and, and is can be challenging. These words are high-frequency words and are among the first children memorize. Don't be afraid to include them in sentences, but to be sure to help your child read them.

• Once a child has mastered other short vowel sounds, encourage them to identify the vowel used in common words.
• Print a CVC word on a piece of paper, with a picture of the word on the other side. Do this for several words, using several short vowel sounds. Then create 5 piles—one for each vowel. Encourage your child to say the name of the picture word out loud as many times as needed to identify the vowel used. Then ask them to put the card in the appropriate vowel pile. Once all of the words are sorted, turn the cards over to see if the words were properly sorted. This kind of hands-on activity engages an early reader in the process of recognizing words and reinforces spelling patterns in a way that endless reciting, copying, and workbook pages cannot.
• Ask your child to read sentences featuring Short A words. Then test their comprehension by asking them to draw a picture of what they read.
• Download our Short A activities and word lists below for more practice.

One of the best ways to practice short vowel sounds is by reading short vowel specific books. While printed passages are good start, the sense of accomplishment a child feels from completing a physical book cannot be rivaled. This achievement can make a child feel like a "big kid."

Grounded in the Science of Reading and designed in consultation with Orton-Gillingham trained literacy specialist Marisa Ware, the Charge into Reading Decodable Readers take the guesswork out of learning to read!