In American English

In this lesson, we will learn about all the sounds of the letter A. It is the first letter of the English alphabet. Let's begin.

The Letter 'A' in the English Alphabet

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/

Pie Chart of 'a' Pronunciation in American English

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 /bk/

snake /snk/

take /'tk/

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 /snl/

train /trn/

sail /sl/

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 /ˌbɑːnˈs/

ae

'ae' sounds /ɛ/:

aerial /ˈɛɹiəl/

aesthetic /ɛsˈθɛt.ɪk/

Tip!

'ae' sounds /eɪ/ in the word 'sundae':

sundae /ˈsʌn.d/

au

'au' commonly has two sounds:

  • /ɔ/
  • /æ/

1. 'au' in the middle or at the beginning of words sounds /ɔ/:

laundry /ˈlɔːn.dɹi/

August /ˈɔ.ɡəst/

sauce /sɔs/

2. 'au' sounds /æ/:

aunt /ænt/

laugh /læf/

augh

'augh' sounds /ɔ/, so 'gh' is silent:

caught /kɔt/

naughty /ˈnɔti/

daughter /ˈdɔtɚ/

Tip!

'au' sounds /oʊ/ in French loanwords:

mauve /mv/

aubergine /ˈbɚʒin/

ay

'ay' sounds /eɪ/:

tray /tr/

crayon /ˈkr.ɑːn/

runway /ˈrʌnw/

aw

'aw' sounds /ɔː/:

paw /pɔː/

straw /stɹɔː/

jaw /dʒɔː/

Tip!

'ay' sounds /ɛ/ in the word 'says':

says /sɛz/

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 /st/

pea /p/

teacher /ˈttʃər/

3. 'ea' also sounds /eɪ/:

break /brk/

steak /stk/

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 /ɡt/

boat /bt/

coat /kt/

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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