Short a words (CVC)
Short a is the sound in cat, map and bag, and it is usually the first vowel children blend. Hear every word, try the sentences, and play the game at the bottom.
Short a words list (45 words)
Tap a word to hear it.
-at words
-ab words
-ad words
-ag words
-am words
-an words
-ap words
Short a words game: listen and find
Hear a word from the list and pick it from four look-alike words. Eight rounds, about two minutes.
Short a words spelling game: build the word
Hear a word and build it from letter tiles, one sound at a time. Letter pairs like sh or ck come as one tile, because they spell one sound. Six rounds.
Short answer
What are short a words?
Short a words contain the vowel sound /a/ as in cat, as opposed to the long a in cake. The simplest short a words are CVC words: a consonant, the letter a and a consonant, such as bat, can, map and bag. Children read them by saying each sound and blending the three together, which makes short a words a common first step in systematic phonics.
- The short a sound is written /a/ or /æ/ and is heard in cat, hat and jam.
- Short a CVC words fall into word families such as -at, -an, -ap and -ag.
- Short a is often taught first because the sound is easy to stretch and hear.
- The most common confusion is between short a and short e, as in bat and bet.
About short a words
The short a sound is the vowel you hear in the middle of cat. Your mouth opens wide and your tongue stays low; it is a short, clipped sound, not the name of the letter. When a child says the letter name ay in cat, they will read kate, so it helps to practise the sound on its own first: /a/, /a/, apple.
Short a words are grouped here by word family, the ending they share. Reading one family at a time lets a child change only the first sound: cat, hat, mat, sat. Once a family feels easy, mix two families together so the child has to look at the ending too, not just the first letter.
Every word on this page can be read by blending three single sounds. There are no silent letters, no letter pairs like sh or ck, and no long vowels, so a child who knows the letter sounds can read all 45 words without guessing.
Short a words in sentences
Decodable sentences: every word can be sounded out with the patterns on this page, plus a few very common words.
- A cat sat on a mat.
- Dad had a tan cap.
- Pam can nap in the van.
- The ham is in the pan.
- Sam has a bag and a map.
- The fat rat ran and ran.
- Can Dan tap the cab?
- A bad ram sat on the jam.
Common mix-ups with short a words
Short a and short e (bat and bet)
These two vowels sound close, especially in some accents. Say pairs slowly and ask your child which one they hear: bat or bet, pan or pen, had or head. Watching your mouth helps; short a opens wider.
Reading the letter name instead of the sound
If cat becomes kate, the child is using the letter name. Practise the sound alone and point out that a says /a/ in these words.
b and d in bad and dab
Words like bad and dab use both letters. If your child swaps them, let them trace each letter while saying its sound, and read the pair side by side.
Short a words activities
Sound boxes
Draw three boxes. Say a word like map, and have your child push a counter into a box for each sound: /m/ /a/ /p/. Then write the letters in the boxes. Hearing the sounds before seeing the letters builds the link in both directions.
Word chains
Change one letter at a time to make a new word: cat, cap, map, mad, sad, sat. Your child reads each new word aloud. This shows that each letter controls one sound.
Family sort
Write words from two families, such as -at and -an, on cards. Mix them up and sort them into two piles, reading each card aloud as it goes down.
Sand or shaving foam writing
Say a word, and have your child write it with a finger in sand or foam while saying each sound. Using touch, sight and sound together is a core idea of structured literacy.
Short a words: frequently asked questions
What is a short a word?
A word with the /a/ sound heard in cat. The simplest ones are CVC words like bat, can and map.
What is the difference between short a and long a?
Short a is the sound in cat. Long a says the letter's name, as in cake or rain. Long a words usually have an extra letter, such as silent e or a vowel team.
How many short a words should a child practise at once?
One word family of 5 to 8 words is plenty for one session. Short, frequent practice works better than long sessions, so come back to the list over several days.
Is short a easier than the other vowels?
For most children it is one of the easiest, along with short i. Short e is usually the hardest because it sounds close to short a and short i.
Practise next
- Short i wordsShort i is the sound in pig, sit and lip. After short a, it is usually the next vowel children learn to blend. Tap any word to hear it, read the sentences, and try the game below.
- Short o wordsShort o is the sound in hot, dog and mop. It is a clear, open sound that most children hear easily. Listen to each word, read the sentences, and play the game at the end.
- At family wordsThe -at family is usually the very first word family children learn: cat, hat, mat and sat all end in the same two letters. Hear each word, read the sentences and try the game.
- An family wordsCan, fan, man and van all end in -an. It is one of the most common word families in early books. Listen to each word, read the sentences and play the game.
Sources
- Galuschka K, Ise E, Krick K, Schulte-Körne G (2014). Effectiveness of treatment approaches for children and adolescents with reading disabilities: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS One, 9(2), e89900.
- Cepeda NJ, Pashler H, Vul E, Wixted JT, Rohrer D (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: a review and quantitative synthesis. Psychol Bull, 132(3), 354-80.