This collection of short ‘A’ word lists for kids is designed to help children understand and practice with the short ‘A’ sound, as well as expand their vocabulary and practice with word families, letter blends, digraphs, and sight words.

These short ‘A’ word lists are free downloadable PDFs and include CVC words with the short ‘A’ sound, word family words with the short ‘A’ sound, short ‘A’ words with letter blends, and more. Each list provides a variety of words that will help young learners work on mastering the short ‘A’ sound.

Pick and choose the words you feel are appropriate for your child, and remember that these list can be used to familiarize your child with the short ‘A’ sound and short ‘A’ words, as a vocabulary list, or as a spelling list.

These short ‘A’ word lists include some short ‘A’ words used in a simple sentence to help your child better understand its meaning. Further enhance learning the short ‘A’ sound with our engaging activities listed at the bottom of the page.

What is the Short A Sound?

The short ‘A’ sound appears in the middle of many simple words, such as cat and hat. It’s also the sound the letter A makes in the word apple. When describing the short ‘A’ sound, it looks like /a/. The long ‘A’ sound matches the sound that’s made when saying the letter A and looks like /ā/.

Short A Word Lists

You’ll find a list of the short ‘A’ word lists with word families, short ‘A’ sight words, and common short ‘A’ words used in sentences.

Short A Words with Word Families

These free printable short ‘A’ word lists feature short ‘A’ words with -at, -ag, -ad, -am, -an, -ab, -ap, and -ax.

Short A Words Ending in -at:

Short A Words Ending in -ag:

Short A Words Ending in -am:

Short A Words Ending in -ad:

Short A Words Ending in -an:

Short A Words Ending in -ap:

Short A Words Ending in -ab:

Short A Words Ending in -ax:

Short A Word Sight Words

Sight words are becoming better known as high-frequency words, or the words that are most commonly found in print. When teaching children high-frequency words, call their attention to the letters and sounds in each word, breaking the word apart phonetically when possible.

Some sight words are considered irregular words, meaning they contain one or more letters or letter combinations that are not pronounced in a typical way, such as the “s” in as and has that sounds more like /z/ than /s/. Spend some extra time on these irregular words, as it can take longer to master these nuances.

Examples of Short A Sight Words:

Short A CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) Words:

Short A Words with Digraphs:

Short A Words with Beginning Consonant Blends:

Short A Words with Ending Consonant Blends:

Short A Words Used in Sentences

Short A Words Activities

Short Vowel Sounds Worksheets:

Our free printable Short Vowel Sounds Worksheets are designed to help your child practice their understanding of short vowels, like the short A sound, through fun coloring pages and crossword puzzles.

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