Short A Words

What is a Short a Word?

The short a sound is part of five short vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, and u. Short a says /a/, as in dad. Many words have a short “a” sound, including words with closed syllables, digraphs, blends, and blends with digraphs. All of our posters and charts include practical examples to help kids identify the short sound with ease.

Examples of Short a Words

As educators, it’s essential to have short and relatable examples of short ”a” words that kids can remember easily. Consider words like “cab” with a closed syllable. A closed syllable contains a vowel sound that is immediately followed by a consonant ending the word. You can hear the short “a” sound in “cab.” Utilizing these examples in your teaching can aid students in recognizing and using the correct spelling of the closed short ‘a’ sounds in their everyday vocabulary and reading comprehension.

4 Spelling Patterns for Short a

Below is a list of words based on spelling patterns using the short a vowel sound. These short a vowel words include beginning, middle, and ending sounds with blends and digraphs.

Blends in Short a Words

Blends are when two or more letters put together you hear both sounds. Words like “fl” in “flat” and they make the “fl” sound when you say similar words, like “flap”. Some examples of beginning blends are bl-, sc-, and -gr. More examples at the end are -nd, -st, and -mp.

Digraphs in Short a Words

Digraphs can be decoded where there are two letters together to produce only one sound, such as “sh” in “cash”. See a breakdown of the digraph examples below, along with a huge and practical list to print for your beginner readers or elementary-age students learning to decode short and easy words.

1. “sh” as in:
   • lash
   • mash
   • dash
2. “ck” as in:
   • back
   • sack
   • whack
3. “ch” at the end of a word, as in:
   • chat
4. “ph” at the end of a word, as in:
   • graph
5. “th” at the end of a word, as in:
   • thank

Short a Words with Closed Syllables

This is a short word list of closed syllables. This list is easy to use and contains words that contain the letter a where the sound is short.

• cab
• gab
• jab
• lab
• tab
• bad
• dad
• lad
• mad
• pad
• sad
• ham
• jam
• ram
• yam
• can
• fan
• man
• pan
• tan

Short a Words with Digraphs

This list contains words with digraphs and short a vowel sounds. These are every day words for kids to understand easily and apply to their growing reading comprehension.

• lash
• mash
• cash
• dash
• chat
• back
• sack
• graph
• whack
• thank

Short a Words with Blends

Our list of short a words that contain blends was specifically chosen for elementary school kids to learn how to read, seeing easy and practical spelling patterns.

• stack
• scalp
• clap
• clam
• plan

Digraphs & Blended Short a Words

This list contains words that have both a digraph and a blend in them. All of these words also have the short a vowel sound.

• Crash – blend (cr) and digraph (a)
• Splash – blend (spl) and digraph (a)

• champ
• shack
• snack
• flash
• plant

Short a Word Flashcard Set

These Short a Vowel Flashcards are perfect for students learning how to read. They show a spelling patterns and are sorted conveniently for teachers. Plus, we’ve included a bonus set of short a flashcards with pictures! These make a perfect set so make sure you check out our learning game mat for matching game ideas!

Also, don’t forget to download a set of our CVC Flashcards for more exciting patterns in phonics reading when your students are ready for the next level!

Short a Words Games and Worksheets

Make the most of our fun short a activities in your classroom or homeschool setup by using each tool for practice or as helpful guides. When you include our fun, printable activities containing all short a words, you’ll set up a lively learning space that works for different ways of learning, making sure your students have a blast while they learn!