The first letter of the English alphabet is "A." It is also the first vowel in the English language.
A Vowel is a sound that is pronounced with the unrestricted flow of air and without any restriction in the vocal tract.
Uppercase Form | A |
|---|---|
Lowercase | a |
Name | ei (pronounced /ˈeɪ/) |
Common Sounds | /ə/, /æ/, /ɑ/, /eɪ/, /ɔ/ |
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: /ə/
"a" mainly sounds /ə/:
asleep /əˈsliːp/
umbrella /ʌmˈbrel.ə/
petal /ˈpet̬.əl/
again /əˈɡɛn/
Sound 2: /æ/
"a" also sounds /æ/:
bat /bæt/
cat /kæt/
cap /kæp/
man /mæn/
Sound 3: /ɑ/
"a" sounds /ɑ/:
far /fɑɹ/
palm /pɑm/
calm /kɑm/
Sound 4: /eɪ/
"a" sounds /eɪ/:
bake /beɪk/
snake /sneɪk/
take /'teɪk/
Sound 5: /ɔ/
"a" sounds /ɔ/:
ball /bɔl/
call /kɔl/
fall /fɔl/
Other Sounds
Sound 6: /e/
"a" sounds /e/:
any /ˈenɪ/
area /ˈeɹiə/
Sound 7: /ɪ/
"a" sounds /ɪ/:
cabbage /ˈkæbɪdʒ/
baggage /ˈbæɡɪdʒ/
package /ˈpækɪdʒ/
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 four sounds:
/eɪ/
/ɛ/
/ə/
/ɪ/
1. "ai" sounds /eɪ/:
snail /sneɪl/
train /treɪn/
sail /seɪl/
2. "ai" also sounds /ɛ/:
again /əˈɡɛn/
said /sɛd/
against /əˈɡɛnst/
3. "ai" also sounds /ə/:
curtain /ˈkɝː.tən/
certain /ˈsɝː.tən/
4. "ai" sometimes sounds /ɪ/ in "ain" when it comes in the final syllable of a word:
bargain /ˈbɑːr.ɡɪn/
porcelain /ˈpɔːr.səl.ɪn/
air
"air" sounds /ɛɚ/:
fair /fɛɚ/
pair /pɛɚ/
chair /tʃɛɚ/
Tip!
"ai" sounds /aɪ/ in the word "bonsai:"
bonsai /ˌbɑːnˈsaɪ/
ae
"ae" sounds /ɛ/:
aerial /ˈɛɹiəl/
aesthetic /ɛsˈθɛt.ɪk/
Tip!
"ae" sounds /eɪ/ in the word "sundae:"
sundae /ˈsʌn.deɪ/
au
"au" commonly has two sounds:
/ɔ/
/æ/
1. "au" sounds /ɔ/:
laundry /ˈlɔːn.dɹi/
August /ˈɔ.ɡəst/
sauce /sɔs/
2. "au" also sounds /æ/:
aunt /ænt/
laugh /læf/
Tip!
"au" sounds /oʊ/ in French loanwords:
mauve /moʊv/
aubergine /ˈoʊbɚʒin/
augh
"augh" sounds /ɔ/, so "gh" is silent:
caught /kɔt/
naughty /ˈnɔti/
daughter /ˈdɔtɚ/
ay
"ay" sounds /eɪ/:
tray /treɪ/
crayon /ˈkreɪ.ɑːn/
runway /ˈrʌnweɪ/
Tip!
"ay" sounds /ɛ/ in the word "says:"
says /sɛz/
aw
"aw" sounds /ɔː/:
paw /pɔː/
straw /stɹɔː/
jaw /dʒɔː/
ea
"ea" commonly has five sounds:
/ɛ/
/iː/
/eɪ/
/iːə/
/ɪ/
1. "ea" sounds /ɛ/:
head /ˈhɛd/
bread /bɹɛd/
thread /θɹɛd/
2. "ea" sounds /iː/:
seat /siːt/
pea /piː/
teacher /ˈtiːtʃər/
3. "ea" also sounds /eɪ/:
break /breɪk/
steak /steɪk/
4. "ea" also sounds /iːə/:
idea /aɪˈdiːə/
theater /θiːət̬ɚ/
5. "ea" in "ear" mainly sounds /ɪ/:
appear /əˈpɪr/
shear /ʃɪr/
Tip!
"ea" also sounds /ə/:
pageant /ˈpædʒənt/
oa
"oa" commonly has two sounds:
/oʊ/
/ɔ/
1. "oa" sounds /oʊ/:
goat /ɡoʊt/
boat /boʊt/
coat /koʊt/
2. "oa" also sounds /ɔ/:
abroad /əˈbɹɔd/
broadcast /ˈbɹɔdkæst/
ia
"ia" sounds /ə/:
special /ˈspeʃəl/
Egyptian /iˈdʒɪpʃən/
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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