100+ FREE Printable Long A Words List.

Today, we’re embarking on a delightful journey through the world of vowels, specifically focusing on the long ‘A’ sound.

Understanding how vowels work is a superpower in the reading and writing universe, and the long ‘A’ is a great place to start.

This sound can be a bit of a chameleon, changing its appearance in words, but don’t worry, we’re here to explore all its colorful forms.

We’ve got a special gift for you – a free, printable table that lays out all these spellings. It’s going to be a fantastic tool for both learning and teaching! Download at the end!

The Long ‘A’ Sound: A Gateway to Reading Mastery

The long ‘A’ sound, which sounds like /ā/ as in ‘acorn,’ is one of the first vowel sounds that children encounter in more complex words.

Unlike its shorter vowel counterpart, the long ‘A’ stretches out, holding the sound a bit longer.

Mastering this sound is like unlocking a treasure chest of reading and spelling skills.

It’s crucial because it pops up so often in our language, from simple words like ‘cake’ to more complex ones like ‘apricot.’

By getting to know the long ‘A,’ students start to build a solid foundation for reading fluency and spelling accuracy.

Diving Into the Long ‘A’ Spellings

Now lets investigate the different ways the long ‘A’ sound disguises itself in words.

It’s like a secret agent with multiple identities! Understanding these various spellings is super important because it helps our young readers and writers recognize and use these patterns correctly.

The long ‘A’ sound can be spelled in eight different ways, and each has its own set of rules and appearances in words.

From the simple standalone ‘A’ in ‘apron’ to the more complex ‘EIGH’ in ‘neigh,’ these spellings add richness and variety not to mention trickiness, to our language.

The Most Common Long ‘A’ Spellings

Heading into the world of the long ‘A’, we find a range of ways it shows up in our words. These common spellings each have their unique rules, making them special in how they bring the long ‘A’ sound to life.

Let’s explore each one, and I’ll show you some cool examples in a handy table!

Common Long A Spelling Examples

Spelling	Examples
A	apron, acorn, major, baby
A-E	cake, snake, skate, make
AI	rain, train, paint, main
AY	day, play, spray, stay

Now lets break these down and give more examples of long A as an open syllable

An open syllable is a syllable that usually ends with a long vowel sound.

Long A as in ‘apron’

When ‘A’ is the last letter in a syllable (and the syllable is open), it often says its name, giving us the long ‘A’ sound. It’s like the letter ‘A’ is taking a deep breath and stretching out – though not too far!.

A as in ‘apron’ Table of Long A Words

apron	major	acorn	baby
agent	alien	basin	basic
table	paper	labor	vapor
cable	fatal	naval	oasis
radar	naval	patio	ratio

Long A-E as in ‘snake’

This is a classic case of the silent ‘E’ at the end of a word, or magic ‘E’ depending where you live.

The ‘E’ might be quiet, but it’s powerful – it tells the ‘A’ to say its name, loud and clear and you can check out the song here if you need to teach long E words.

Long A-E as in ‘snake’: Table of Long A Words

cake	snake	skate	make
lake	flame	plate	brave
space	grace	frame	scale
chase	scrape	shape	waste
paste	drape	slate	phase

Long AI as in ‘train’

When ‘A’ teams up with ‘I’ in the middle of a word, they usually make the long ‘A’ sound. It’s like the two letters are best buddies, creating this sound together.

Long AI as in ‘train’: Table of Long A Words

rain	train	paint	main
claim	brain	plain	drain
chain	grain	braid	stain
trail	snail	jail	frail
quail	faint	saint	slain

Long AY as in ‘play’

Here, ‘A’ pairs with ‘Y’ at the end of a word to belt out the long ‘A’ sound.

It’s the duo’s way of making sure the word ends on a high note with a clear long ‘A’ sound. We also have worksheets on y as a vowel here on the site if you need them.

AY as in ‘play’ Table of Long A Words

day	play	spray	stay
may	clay	tray	sway
pray	gray	stray	pay
bray	delay	essay	array
decay	relay	array	betray

Less Frequent but Equally Important Long A Spellings

While the spellings we just explored are the stars of the show, there are some less common contenders that deserve our attention too.

These might not be the first spellings that come to mind when we think of the long ‘A’ sound, but they’re just as crucial for our young linguists.

Long EI as in ‘reindeer’

This spelling is a bit of a rarity, but it’s essential. It often appears in words borrowed from other languages and can be a bit tricky.

Remember ‘I before E except after C’? Well, here’s where it gets interesting – ‘EI’ can also make the long ‘A’ sound!

EI as in ‘reindeer’ Table of Long A Words

reindeer	veil	vein	feign
rein	beige	freight	reign

EA as in ‘break’

Typically, ‘EA’ makes the long ‘E’ sound, but in some words, it surprises us with the long ‘A.’ though it is rare

It’s like a chameleon in the world of vowels, showing us the versatility and richness of the English language – and of course being a little confusing too.

EA as in ‘break’ Table of Long A Words

break	steak	great	breakup
outbreak	yea	greatness	breakdance

EIGH as in ‘eight’

This one’s a heavyweight champion in the long ‘A’ arena. It’s not as common, but when it shows up, it’s unmistakable.

It often appears in numbers and a few other words, making it a unique and interesting spelling pattern.

EIGH as in ‘eight’ Table of Long A Words

eight	eighty	eighteen	neighbor
freight	sleigh	neigh	weigh
weight	straight	sleighs

EY as in ‘they’:

Here’s a spelling that’s a bit of a curveball. It’s not just for making the long ‘E’ sound; in some cases, it stretches to the long ‘A.‘

It’s a great example of the diverse and sometimes unpredictable nature of English spelling.

EY as in ‘they’ Table of Long A Words

they	obey	grey	survey
prey	convey	disobey	quay
hey	obeyed	whey	fley

Practical Activities and Teaching Strategies

Now, let’s make the learning of long ‘A’ spellings as fun and interactive as possible!

Engaging classroom activities are key to helping students grasp these concepts.

• How about a ‘Long A Spelling Bee’ where students can spell words from the different long ‘A’ categories?
• Try multisensory learning experiences like creating word collages with magazine cutouts for visual and tactile reinforcement.
• Interactive games, such as ‘Long A Bingo’, can be a blast, and they’re great for reinforcing these spelling patterns.
• Writing exercises where students use different long ‘A’ words in sentences or stories can also be very effective.

Remember, repetition and varied exposure are your best friends here. The more ways students encounter these Long A vowel spellings, the more naturally they’ll come to recognize and use them.

We have more long Vowel lists on the links below as well.

Integrating Long ‘A’ Learning into Everyday Teaching

Incorporating long ‘A’ spellings into your daily teaching can be both seamless and impactful.

Start by using these spelling patterns into your regular reading sessions. For example, when reading a story, pause to highlight words with the long ‘A’ sound and discuss the spelling pattern used.

You can also organize weekly spelling challenges focused on one long ‘A’ pattern at a time. Creative writing tasks are another great avenue. Prompt students to write a short story or poem using a set list of long ‘A’ words.

This not only reinforces their understanding but also encourages creative expression.

You can download the Free PDF Printable Long A Sound Word list from the link below.

Conclusion

Understanding these Long vowel and Long A spellings is a critical step in early literacy development, opening doors to more confident reading and writing.

We hope these insights, activities, and strategies will be valuable additions to your teaching toolkit.

Don’t forget to make use of the free downloadable table of long ‘A’ spellings—it’s a great resource for both teachers and students.

We have hundreds of resources on long vowels you can check out from the links below as well.

• 50 Worksheet Workbook on long and short vowels.
• FREE Long and short vowels worksheets
• Sort the long and short vowel sounds worksheets
• FREE Long vowel Spelling Worksheets
• A, E, I O ,U – FREE Printable Long Vowel Word Lists

Outside Resources

• https://literacylearn.com/long-a-vowel-sound-words
• https://thriveedservices.com/how-to-teach-the-long-a-sound