Au Word List

Words with au and aw, sorted by where the spelling sits: start, middle or end.

Edit this list or use your own words

The 16 words of this list. Add or change any. For your own list, press Clear first.

For a sentence, put it after a colon: rain: The rain fell all day. Up to 40 words.

Sheet to show and print

List 1: au in one-syllable words (haul)

Words to learn. Read each word, cover it, write it, then check it.

  1. 1.haulTwo trucks haul gravel up the hill.
  2. 2.faultThe spilled paint was nobody's fault.
  3. 3.vaultThe bank keeps its cash in a vault.
  4. 4.sauceStir the tomato sauce before it sticks.
  5. 5.causeWet roads can cause long traffic delays.
  6. 6.pauseA short pause came before the final answer.
  7. 7.clauseThis sentence has only one clause.
  8. 8.fraudThe fake ticket turned out to be a fraud.
  9. 9.gauzeThe nurse wrapped gauze around my thumb.
  10. 10.tautThe kite string stayed taut in the wind.
  11. 11.caughtShe caught the falling cup with one hand.
  12. 12.taughtNobody taught the parrot that new word.
  13. 13.launchThe rocket will launch just after sunrise.
  14. 14.hauntThat mistake may haunt the team all season.
  15. 15.tauntA good sport does not taunt the losers.
  16. 16.flauntHe likes to flaunt his new sneakers.

Made at homeroomtools.com

Make a word search

Each word is read aloud, then used in a sentence. Type what you hear. The marks come at the end.

More options
Reading speed

Accents do not count: café may be typed as cafe, and the marks show how it is written.

Only voices built into this device are used, so the words are not sent to a speech service to be read. With no voice, a person reads the words from the last page of the test sheet.

Review test from several lists
Tick the lists to draw 10 words from

The words are mixed from the lists you tick, so a review test needs a read-aloud voice.

Next step More words in aught: fraught, distraught, granddaughterNext pattern, ou and ow: cloud, town, flower

All 96 words

List 1: au in one-syllable words (haul) 16

  • caught She caught the falling cup with one hand.
  • cause Wet roads can cause long traffic delays.
  • clause This sentence has only one clause.
  • fault The spilled paint was nobody's fault.
  • flaunt He likes to flaunt his new sneakers.
  • fraud The fake ticket turned out to be a fraud.
  • gauze The nurse wrapped gauze around my thumb.
  • haul Two trucks haul gravel up the hill.
  • haunt That mistake may haunt the team all season.
  • launch The rocket will launch just after sunrise.
  • pause A short pause came before the final answer.
  • sauce Stir the tomato sauce before it sticks.
  • taught Nobody taught the parrot that new word.
  • taunt A good sport does not taunt the losers.
  • taut The kite string stayed taut in the wind.
  • vault The bank keeps its cash in a vault.

List 2: au at the start of a word (August) 16

  • auburn Her auburn hair shines red in the sun.
  • auction The painting sold at auction last night.
  • audible The bell was audible from two blocks away.
  • audience The audience clapped when the curtain fell.
  • audio Turn up the audio so we can hear.
  • audit An audit checks every number in the records.
  • audition Her audition for the school play went well.
  • auditorium Rows of seats fill the school auditorium.
  • August August comes right after July.
  • authentic The museum proved the coin was authentic.
  • author Which author wrote your favorite mystery?
  • auto The auto shop fixed our flat tire.
  • autograph The pitcher wrote his autograph on my cap.
  • automatic The automatic doors slide open for shoppers.
  • automobile A shiny automobile rolled slowly down the street.
  • autumn Farmers harvest pumpkins in early autumn.

List 3: au in the middle of longer words (saucer) 16

  • applaud Please applaud when the dancers take a bow.
  • applause The magician bowed to thunderous applause.
  • astronaut Each astronaut trains for years before a flight.
  • caution Cross the icy bridge with caution.
  • cautious A cautious driver slows down in fog.
  • daughter The baker's daughter helps frost the cakes.
  • default The game is set to easy by default.
  • exhaust Gray exhaust puffed from the old bus.
  • faucet Cold water ran from the garden faucet.
  • laundry A basket of laundry sat by the stairs.
  • naughty Hiding my sister's shoes was a naughty trick.
  • overhaul The mechanic will overhaul the worn engine.
  • precaution We packed an umbrella as a precaution.
  • saucepan Warm the milk gently in a small saucepan.
  • saucer The cat lapped water from a saucer.
  • sausage Dad grilled sausage and peppers for dinner.

List 4: aw at the end of a word (saw) 16

  • caw We heard a crow caw from the fence.
  • claw The crab pinched the net with its claw.
  • draw Use a ruler to draw a straight line.
  • flaw A tiny flaw made the vase leak.
  • gnaw Mice gnaw holes in cardboard boxes.
  • jaw My jaw dropped when the magician vanished.
  • jigsaw The last jigsaw piece was under the couch.
  • law Every driver must obey the traffic law.
  • outlaw The sheriff chased the outlaw across the desert.
  • paw The kitten licked its front paw clean.
  • raw Raw carrots make a crunchy snack.
  • saw We saw three deer beside the pond.
  • seesaw Two friends bounced on the playground seesaw.
  • straw She sipped lemonade through a paper straw.
  • thaw Ice on the windshield began to thaw.
  • withdraw You can withdraw cash at the bank.

List 5: aw before n, l or k (yawn) 16

  • bawl The toddler began to bawl at naptime.
  • crawl A snail can crawl up a glass window.
  • dawn The rooster crowed just before dawn.
  • drawn The curtains were drawn against the bright sun.
  • fawn The doe led her fawn across the meadow.
  • gawk Tourists gawk at the tall glass towers.
  • hawk A hawk perched on the telephone pole.
  • lawn Sprinklers watered the front lawn at noon.
  • pawn She moved a pawn two squares forward.
  • prawn A prawn looks like a large shrimp.
  • scrawl I could not read the hurried scrawl.
  • shawl Grandma wrapped a wool shawl around her shoulders.
  • spawn Frogs return to the pond to spawn.
  • sprawl The dogs sprawl across the cool kitchen floor.
  • trawl Fishing boats trawl the bay with wide nets.
  • yawn He tried to hide a sleepy yawn.

List 6: aw in longer words (strawberry) 16

  • awful That awful noise was only the blender.
  • awkward There was an awkward silence after the joke.
  • awning We waited under the shop awning in the rain.
  • dawdle Do not dawdle on the way to class.
  • drawback The only drawback is the long bus ride.
  • drawing Her drawing of a horse won first prize.
  • flawless The skater gave a flawless final performance.
  • jawbone Scientists found the jawbone of an ancient whale.
  • lawful The judge ruled that the search was lawful.
  • lawsuit The company settled the lawsuit out of court.
  • rawhide The dog chewed a strip of rawhide.
  • sawdust Sawdust covered the floor of the workshop.
  • sawmill Logs float downriver to the sawmill.
  • scrawny A scrawny kitten followed us home.
  • strawberry She picked the ripest strawberry in the patch.
  • tawny The lion shook its tawny mane.

How it works

This au word list holds 48 words spelled with au and 48 spelled with aw, in six lists of sixteen. Every word has a sentence.

Read the full guide

Spelling lists of au words: Lists 1 to 3

List 1 has one-syllable words: haul, sauce, fault, launch. In List 2 the au starts the word: August, author, autumn. In List 3 it sits inside a longer word: saucer, laundry, astronaut. No word here ends in au.

Au and aw word list: the aw half

In List 4 the aw ends the word: saw, claw, jigsaw. In List 5 it comes before a final n, l or k: yawn, crawl, hawk. List 6 has longer words. In 14 of its 16 the aw ends a syllable (straw-ber-ry, law-suit); awkward and awning have it before k and n.

  • The dictionary also gives launch and laundry a second pronunciation with the a of father, and haunt one with the o of hot.
  • Because is left off: the dictionary also gives it the vowel of cup.
  • Haul and hall, pause and paws, taut and taught sound alike. The sentence read with each word tells them apart.

Questions and answers

When do you use au or aw?

Reading Universe gives the pattern: the sound is spelled au at the beginning or middle of a word, as in August and haul, and is often spelled aw at the end, as in saw, draw and claw.

Do au and aw make the same sound?

Yes. The American Heritage Dictionary writes both with one symbol, ô: sauce is sôs and saw is sô. Some speakers say this vowel like the o of hot, so caught and cot sound alike to them.

Does au always sound like the aw in saw?

No. In the same dictionary laugh and aunt have the a of cat, gauge has long a, and mauve and chauffeur have long o. None of them is on these lists.

More tools

Show 8 more

Browse Flashcards