Letter A Tracing Worksheets

Press Print worksheet for dotted rows of A and a with starting dots, or type words in the Words box.

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NameDateAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa a a aa a a aa a a aa a a aa a a aa a a aMade at homeroomtools.com
NameDateappleappleappleappleappleappleantantantantantantantantantMade at homeroomtools.com
Page 1 of 2

4 words on 2 pages, Letter portrait.

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All 82 rows and words

Rows of the letter 3

  • A Capital A. The starting dot sits on the top point. 5 fit across a row at Large, so 3 rows give 15 to trace.
  • a a a a Lowercase a in groups of 4. At Large 2 groups fit across a row, so 3 rows give 24 to trace. The starting dot sits on top of the round part, just under the dashed line.
  • Aa Capital and lowercase side by side, 4 pairs to a row. A good last sheet once both shapes are known.
Show all 82 rows and words (79 more)

Words that start with short a, as in apple 24

  • act 3 letters. Tall: t.
  • actor The or at the end says er. 5 letters. Tall: t.
  • add Double d: two tall letters side by side. 3 letters. Tall: d, d.
  • albatross A large seabird. Double s at the end. 9 letters. Tall: l, b, t.
  • alligator A large reptile, and a full row on its own at Large. 9 letters. Tall: l, l, t. Tails: g.
  • alphabet Named after alpha and beta, the first two Greek letters. The ph says f. 8 letters. Tall: l, h, b, t. Tails: p.
  • am 2 letters, both the same height.
  • ambulance The c says s. 9 letters. Tall: b, l.
  • an Used before a vowel sound: an apple, an ant. 2 letters, both the same height.
  • anchor The ch says k. Before nk and ng, short a drifts toward long a in many American accents, so keep anchor for later. 6 letters. Tall: h.
  • and The word that joins two things: an apple and an ant. 3 letters. Tall: d.
  • animal Three beats to clap: an, i, mal. 6 letters. Tall: l.
  • ant Short enough to fit 3 times across a row. 3 letters. Tall: t.
  • anteater It eats ants and termites, and the word ant is at the front. 8 letters. Tall: t, t.
  • antelope The e at the end is silent. 8 letters. Tall: t, l. Tails: p.
  • anthill Two words in one: ant and hill. 7 letters. Tall: t, h, l, l.
  • antler Deer grow antlers. 6 letters. Tall: t, l.
  • apple The usual key word for short a. 5 letters. Tall: l. Tails: p, p.
  • as The s says z. 2 letters, both the same height.
  • ask 3 letters. Tall: k.
  • astronaut From Greek words for star and sailor. The au says aw. 9 letters. Tall: t, t.
  • at In this letter style the t stops a little short of the top line. 2 letters. Tall: t.
  • attic Double t in the middle. 5 letters. Tall: t, t.
  • ax The American spelling. Axe is the same word. 2 letters, both the same height.

Words that start with long a, as in acorn 10

  • able 4 letters. Tall: b, l.
  • ace The c says s. 3 letters, all the same height.
  • acorn The nut of an oak tree. The a says its own name. 5 letters, all the same height.
  • age The g says j. 3 letters. Tails: g.
  • aim The a and the i work as a team. 3 letters, all the same height.
  • alien Three beats: a, li, en. 5 letters. Tall: l.
  • angel The g says j. Easy to mix up with angle. 5 letters. Tall: l. Tails: g.
  • ape The silent e at the end makes the a say its name. 3 letters. Tails: p.
  • apron 5 letters. Tails: p.
  • ate Sounds the same as eight. 3 letters. Tall: t.

A words where the a says something else 16

  • aardvark Two a letters and an r say ar. A burrowing animal from Africa. 8 letters. Tall: d, k.
  • about The a is a quick uh. 5 letters. Tall: b, t.
  • again The first a is a quick uh. 5 letters. Tails: g.
  • air The a, the i and the r say one sound. 3 letters, all the same height.
  • airplane Starts with the air sound, not short a, so it is a poor picture for the a in apple. 8 letters. Tall: l. Tails: p.
  • all Before l, the a says aw. 3 letters. Tall: l, l.
  • alone The a is a quick uh. 5 letters. Tall: l.
  • also Before l, the a says aw. 4 letters. Tall: l.
  • ark ar, as in car. 3 letters. Tall: k.
  • arm The a and the r say ar, as in car. 3 letters, all the same height.
  • armadillo Starts with ar. The name is Spanish for little armored one. 9 letters. Tall: d, l, l.
  • art ar, as in car. 3 letters. Tall: t.
  • asleep The a is a quick uh. 6 letters. Tall: l. Tails: p.
  • autumn The au says aw, and the n is silent. 6 letters. Tall: t.
  • awake Two sounds for one letter: a quick uh, then long a. 5 letters. Tall: k.
  • away The first a is a quick uh. The ay says long a. 4 letters. Tails: y.

Short a in the middle 8

  • bag All three heights in one word: a tall b, a small a and a g with a tail. 3 letters. Tall: b. Tails: g.
  • cat The c and the a start at almost the same spot, up by the dashed line. 3 letters. Tall: t.
  • dad All three letters have their starting dot on the round part, not on the stick. 3 letters. Tall: d, d.
  • fan 3 letters. Tall: f.
  • hat 3 letters. Tall: h, t.
  • jam 3 letters. Tails: j.
  • map 3 letters. Tails: p.
  • van 3 letters, all the same height.

Names and places with a capital A 21

  • Abby A first name with short a. Capital A and 3 lowercase letters. Tall: b, b. Tails: y.
  • Adam A first name with short a. Capital A and 3 lowercase letters. Tall: d.
  • Africa The second largest continent. Short a. Capital A and 5 lowercase letters. Tall: f.
  • Alabama A U.S. state. 4 of its 7 letters are a. Capital A and 6 lowercase letters. Tall: l, b.
  • Alaska A U.S. state. The first a is a quick uh. Capital A and 5 lowercase letters. Tall: l, k.
  • Alex A first name with short a. Capital A and 3 lowercase letters. Tall: l.
  • Alps Mountains in Europe. Short a. Capital A and 3 lowercase letters. Tall: l. Tails: p.
  • America The first a is a quick uh. Capital A and 6 lowercase letters, all the same height.
  • Amy A first name with long a. Capital A and 2 lowercase letters. Tails: y.
  • Andes The longest mountain range on land, along the west side of South America. Capital A and 4 lowercase letters. Tall: d.
  • Andy A first name with short a. Capital A and 3 lowercase letters. Tall: d. Tails: y.
  • Anna Short a. It reads the same forwards and backwards. Capital A and 3 lowercase letters, all the same height.
  • Antarctica The southernmost continent. The South Pole is on it. Capital A and 9 lowercase letters. Tall: t, t.
  • April The fourth month, with 30 days. Long a. Capital A and 4 lowercase letters. Tall: l. Tails: p.
  • Arctic The region around the North Pole. Starts with ar. Capital A and 5 lowercase letters. Tall: t.
  • Arizona A U.S. state. Capital A and 6 lowercase letters, all the same height.
  • Asia The largest continent. Long a. Capital A and 3 lowercase letters, all the same height.
  • Atlantic The second largest ocean. Capital A and 7 lowercase letters. Tall: t, l, t.
  • August The eighth month, with 31 days. The Au says aw. Capital A and 5 lowercase letters. Tall: t. Tails: g.
  • Australia A country and a continent. Capital A and 8 lowercase letters. Tall: t, l.
  • Ava Long a. It reads the same forwards and backwards. Capital A and 2 lowercase letters, all the same height.

How this list was compiled: The words, names and notes were chosen and written for this page; no list was copied. Sounds follow General American and were checked in each word's entry on en.wiktionary.org, facts about places, animals and the letter on en.wikipedia.org (checked 2026-09-18). Words whose first sound changes from speaker to speaker (aunt, apricot, almond, avocado, arrow) were left out. Licence: own work

All 28 practice lines

Letter rows and word rows 6

  • A a A a A a A a Capital and lowercase in turn, so the child feels the change of height 8 times in a row.
  • am an as at and ask Six short a words, 2 or 3 letters each.
  • ant ax add act apple Five words that start with short a.
  • ape ace age ate aim Five words that start with long a. Four of them end in a silent e.
  • c o a d g q The round letters. In this letter style all six have their starting dot up by the dashed line, so a comes easier after c and o.
  • cat hat bag map van Short a in the middle of five 3-letter words.
Show all 28 practice lines (22 more)

Sentences with short a 5

  • Adam has a tan hat. Short a in Adam, has, tan and hat. The letter a appears 6 times, counting the capital.
  • An ant sat on an apple. Short a in An, ant, sat, an and apple. The letter a appears 5 times.
  • Anna ran as fast as Alex. Short a in all six words. The a at the end of Anna is a quick uh. The letter a appears 7 times.
  • The astronaut had a nap. Short a in astronaut, had and nap. The au in astronaut says aw.
  • Dad packs a bag and a map. Short a in Dad, packs, bag, and, map. The letter a appears 7 times.

Sentences with long a 4

  • The acorn came from an oak. True: an acorn is the nut of an oak tree. Long a in acorn and came.
  • Aim the paper plane at the gate. Long a in Aim, paper, plane and gate. The at has short a.
  • Amy made a cake in April. Long a in Amy, made, cake and April. Two capital A words.
  • An ape ate a grape. Long a in ape, ate and grape, each with a silent e.

Sentences with other a sounds 3

  • All the balls are small. Before l the a says aw: All, balls, small.
  • I am alone and awake. A quick uh at the start of alone and awake. The am and the and have short a.
  • Park the car by the barn. The ar sound three times: Park, car, barn.

Sentences with a capital A 7

  • Africa is the second largest continent. A long line. At Large it wraps onto 3 rows, and at Medium onto 2.
  • Alaska, Arizona and Alabama are states. Three states that start with A, with a comma to trace.
  • The Andes are in South America. Two capital A words in one line.
  • April has 30 days and August has 31. Two months that start with A, and two numbers to trace.
  • Asia is the largest continent. One capital letter, which does two jobs: it starts the sentence and it starts a name. Long a.
  • The Atlantic is the second largest ocean. One capital A in the middle of the line, because Atlantic is a name.
  • The South Pole is in Antarctica. Antarctica has 10 letters and 3 of them are a.

Count the letter a 3

  • Alabama has the letter a four times. Count them in Alabama: one capital and three lowercase.
  • Anna has a banana and a pancake. The letter a appears 11 times in this line, counting the capital. Circle them before tracing.
  • Banana has the letter a three times. Every second letter of banana is an a.

How this list was compiled: Every practice line was written for this page; none was copied from a workbook or another site. Sounds follow General American and were checked in each word's entry on en.wiktionary.org, facts on en.wikipedia.org (checked 2026-09-18). Licence: own work

How it works

These letter A tracing worksheets open ready to print: 3 rows of capital A, 3 of lowercase a, then apple and ant, each with an empty row. Open Pick from the 82 rows and words and press any of the 71 A words.

Read the full guide

What prints on the two pages

At Large (19 mm), page 1 holds 15 capital A's and 24 lowercase a's. Page 2 holds apple 6 times and ant 9 times. Capital A starts at the dot on its point, about 17 mm up where an l reaches 19. Typing in the Words box replaces all four sample rows. To keep A and a a a a, press them first in Pick from the 82 rows and words.

Choose A words by sound

The letter a stands for at least seven vowel sounds in English, so the list under the tool is sorted by sound. Start with short a: apple, ant, ax, alligator. Airplane begins with the air sound, so it does not teach the a in apple.

  • Say the strokes before the pencil moves: slant down, slant down, across. Both slants begin at the dot.
  • For preschool, choose Extra large (26 mm) and, in More options, set Rows to trace to 2: still 2 pages.
  • In the Words box, type c o a d g q on one line: all start under the dashed line.

Questions and answers

Should a letter tracing A sheet start with the capital or the lowercase?

Capital A is the easier shape: three straight lines. Lowercase a is a curve that has to close, and children will write it far more often: a is the third most common letter in English, after e and t. Other letters use the same layout.

Why does this a look different from the a in books?

Book type uses a two-story a, with a hook on top. Handwriting uses the one-story a: a round part and a short stick. The Print style here is built from Andika, a typeface made for people learning to read, so it keeps the handwritten shape.

Can I type my own words or a child's name?

Yes. The Words box takes one word or name per line, up to 30 characters each. Alex or Anna fits twice across a row. A share link carries what you typed, so leave student names out of it.

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