LoginThe Letter A In American English
'A' is the first letter of the English alphabet. It is considered a vowel.
Vowels are sounds that are pronounced without any restriction in the vocal tract. It means we can produce it with the unrestricted flow of air.
Uppercase Form | A |
|---|---|
Lowercase | a |
Name | ei (pronounced /ˈeɪ/) |
Common Sounds | /æ/, /eɪ/, /ɑː/, /ɔ:/, /ə/ |
The Letter A: Sounds
Vowels in the English language can have many many sounds. Here we will look at some of its common ones.
Common Sounds
Sound 1: /æ/
'a' sounds /æ/:
bat /bæt/
cat /kæt/
man /mæn/
Sound 2: /eɪ/
'a' also sounds /eɪ/:
snake /sneɪk/
bake /beɪk/
gate /ɡeɪt/
made /meɪd/
Sound 3: /ɑː/
'a' sounds /ɑː/:
car /kɑː/
bath /bɑːθ/
ask /ɑːsk/
grass /ɡrɑːs/
Sound 4: /ɔː/
'a' sounds /ɔː/:
call /kɔːl/
fall /fɔːl/
war /wɔːr/
Sound 5: /ə/
'a' sounds /ə/:
asleep /əˈsliːp/
umbrella /ʌmˈbɹɛlə/
pedal /ˈpɛdəl/
Other Sounds
Sound 6: /ɒ/
'a' sounds /ɒ/:
swan /swɒn/
was /wɒz/
wand /wɒnd/
Sound 7: /e/
'a' also sounds /e/:
any /ˈen.i/
anything /ˈen.i.θɪŋ/
anywhere /ˈen.i.weər/
Sound 8: /eə/
'a' also sounds /eə/:
canary /kəˈneə.ri/
vary /ˈveə.ri/
parent /ˈpeə.rənt/
Sound 9: /ɪ/
'a' sounds /ɪ/:
cabbage /ˈkæb.ɪdʒ/
baggage /ˈbæɡ.ɪdʒ/
package /ˈpæk.ɪdʒ/
The Letter A: Multigraphs
'A' can also appear in combination with other letters (mainly vowels and sometimes consonants). They can create distinct vowels:
ai
'ai' commonly has six sounds:
/eɪ/
/e/
/eə/
/ə/
/æ/
/ɪ/
1. 'ai' sounds /eɪ/:
snail /sneɪl/
train /treɪn/
rain /reɪn/
2. 'ai' also sounds /e/:
again /əˈɡen/
said /sed/
against /əˈɡenst/
3. 'ai' sounds /eə/:
fairy /ˈfeə.ri/
dairy /ˈdeə.ri/
hairy /ˈheəri/
4. 'ai' also sounds /ə/:
curtain /ˈkɜː.tən/
certain /ˈsɜː.tən/
5. 'ai' also sounds /æ/:
plait /plæt/
plaid /plæd/
6. 'ai' sometimes sounds /ɪ/ in 'ain' when it comes in the final syllable of a word:
bargain /ˈbɑːɡən/
mountain /ˈmaʊn.tɪn/
porcelain /ˈpɔː.səl.ɪn/
air
'air' sounds /eə(ɹ)/:
chair /tʃeə(ɹ)/
pair /peə(ɹ)/
fair /feə(ɹ)/
Tip!
'ai' also sounds /aɪ/ in the loanword 'bonsai':
bonsai /ˈbɒn.saɪ/
ae
'ae' sounds /eə/:
aerial /ˈeə.ri.əl/
aeroplane /ˈeərəpleɪn/
aerosol /ˈeərəsɒl/
Tip!
'ae' sounds /eɪ/ in the word 'sundae':
sundae /ˈsʌn.deɪ/
au
'au' commonly has four sounds:
/ɔː/
/ɒ/
/aː/
/uː/
1. 'au' sounds /ɔː/:
sauce /sɔːs/
august /ɔːˈɡʌst/
laundry /ˈlɔːndri/
2. 'au' also sounds /ɒ/:
because /bɪˈkɒz/
sausage /ˈsɒs.ɪdʒ/
3. 'au' also sounds /a:/:
aunt /ɑːnt/
laugh /lɑːf/
4. 'au' also sounds /u:/:
beauty /ˈbjuː.ti/
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/
Tip!
'au' sounds /əʊ/ in French loanwords:
mauve /məʊv/
aubergine /ˈəʊbəʒiːn/
augh
'augh' sounds /ɔː/:
caught /kɔːt/
naughty /ˈnɔː.ti/
daughter /ˈdɔːtə(ɹ)/
aw
'aw' sounds /ɔː/:
paw /pɔː/
straw /strɔː/
jaw /dʒɔː/
ay
'ay' sounds /eɪ/:
tray /treɪ/
crayon /ˈkreɪ.ɒn/
play /pleɪ/
Tip!
'ay' sounds /e/ in the word 'says':
says /sez/
ea
'ea' commonly has five sounds:
/e/
/iː/
/eɪ/
/ɪə/
/eə/
1. 'ea' sounds /e/:
head /hed/
bread /bred/
thread /θred/
2. 'ea' also sounds /iː/:
pea /piː/
seat /siːt/
teacher /ˈtiːtʃə(r)/
3. 'ea' sounds /eɪ/:
break /breɪk/
steak /steɪk/
breakdown /ˈbreɪkdaʊn/
4. 'ea' also sounds /ɪə/:
idea /aɪˈdɪə/
theatre /ˈθɪə.tər/
5. 'ea' sounds /eə/:
bearing /ˈbeə.rɪŋ/
bearable /ˈbeərəbl/
ballbearing /ˌbɔːl ˈbeərɪŋ/
Tip!
'ea' sounds /ə/ in the word pageant:
pageant /ˈpædʒ.ənt/
oa
'oa' commonly has two sounds:
/əʊ/
/ɔː/
1. 'oa' sounds /əʊ/:
goat /ɡəʊt/
boat /bəʊt/
coat /kəʊt/
2. 'oa' also sounds /ɔː/:
abroad /əˈbrɔːd/
broadcast /ˈbrɔːd.kɑːst/
ia
'ia' sounds /ə/:
special /ˈspeʃ.əl/
Egyptian /iˈdʒɪp.ʃən/
official /əˈfɪʃ.əl/
Tip!
aa does not occur in English words, but it is found in some names derived from other languages, such as Aaron and aardvark.
The Letter A: Uses
In English:
A is an indefinite article.
A can be used to show grade or quality.
A as a prefix can also mean 'not' or 'without'.
A is also used to show size, such as shoe size.
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