Long A Phonics Worksheets

Press Print worksheet for fifteen long a words to sort under a_e, ai and ay.

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Made at homeroomtools.comWord boxSort the words of the word box. Write each word under its heading.Spelling: sort by listList 1: a_e as in cakeList 2: ai as in rainList 3: ay as in daypaleplaysafemaidsailtameraypaidmaycavelaygamenailmailstay
Made at homeroomtools.comSort the words of the word box. Write each word under its heading.Spelling: sort by listAnswer keyList 1: a_e as in cakeList 2: ai as in rainList 3: ay as in daytamepalesafegamecavesailnailmaidmailpaidrayplaystaylaymay
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15 words from 3 lists, sort by list, on 1 page and 1 page of answers, Letter portrait.

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The spelling lists

List 1: a_e as in cake 8

  • cake Long a, then k, then a silent e.
  • cave Long a, then v, then a silent e.
  • game Long a, then m, then a silent e.
  • lane Long a, then n, then a silent e.
  • pale Long a, then l, then a silent e. Sound-alike: pail.
  • safe Long a, then f, then a silent e.
  • tame Long a, then m, then a silent e.
  • wade Long a, then d, then a silent e.

List 2: ai as in rain 8

  • maid The long a is ai, between m and d. Sound-alike: made.
  • mail The long a is ai, between m and l. Sound-alike: male.
  • nail The long a is ai, between n and l.
  • paid The long a is ai, between p and d.
  • rain The long a is ai, between r and n.
  • sail The long a is ai, between s and l. Sound-alike: sale.
  • tail The long a is ai, between t and l. Sound-alike: tale.
  • wait The long a is ai, between w and t. Sound-alike: weight.
Show all 160 words (144 more)

List 3: ay as in day 8

  • day The long a is ay, at the end, after d.
  • hay The long a is ay, at the end, after h. Sound-alike: hey.
  • jay The long a is ay, at the end, after j.
  • lay The long a is ay, at the end, after l.
  • may The long a is ay, at the end, after m.
  • play The long a is ay, at the end, after pl.
  • ray The long a is ay, at the end, after r.
  • stay The long a is ay, at the end, after st.

List 4: eigh as in eight 8

  • eight Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, at the start, before t. Sound-alike: ate.
  • eighth Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, at the start, before th.
  • eighty Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, at the start, before ty.
  • outweigh Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, at the end, after tw.
  • sleigh Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, at the end, after sl. Sound-alike: slay.
  • weigh Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, at the end, after w. Sound-alike: way.
  • weightless Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, between w and t.
  • weighty Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, between w and ty.

List 5: a_e as in snake 8

  • brake Long a, then k, then a silent e. Sound-alike: break.
  • graze Long a, then z, then a silent e.
  • place Long a, then c, then a silent e.
  • quake Long a, then k, then a silent e.
  • slate Long a, then t, then a silent e.
  • snake Long a, then k, then a silent e.
  • spade Long a, then d, then a silent e.
  • stake Long a, then k, then a silent e. Sound-alike: steak.

List 6: ai as in train 8

  • brain The long a is ai, between br and n.
  • chain The long a is ai, between ch and n.
  • claim The long a is ai, between cl and m.
  • faith The long a is ai, between f and th.
  • quail The long a is ai, between u and l.
  • sprain The long a is ai, between spr and n.
  • trail The long a is ai, between tr and l.
  • train The long a is ai, between tr and n.

List 7: ay as in tray 8

  • fray The long a is ay, at the end, after fr.
  • gray The long a is ay, at the end, after gr.
  • pray The long a is ay, at the end, after pr. Sound-alike: prey.
  • relay The long a is ay, at the end, after l.
  • spray The long a is ay, at the end, after spr.
  • stray The long a is ay, at the end, after str.
  • sway The long a is ay, at the end, after sw.
  • tray The long a is ay, at the end, after tr.

List 8: a as in baby 8

  • acorn One a, alone, spells the long a, at the start, before c.
  • apron One a, alone, spells the long a, at the start, before p.
  • baby One a, alone, spells the long a, between b and by.
  • basic One a, alone, spells the long a, between b and sic.
  • crazy One a, alone, spells the long a, between cr and zy.
  • navy One a, alone, spells the long a, between n and vy.
  • shady One a, alone, spells the long a, between sh and dy.
  • tasty One a, alone, spells the long a, between t and sty.

List 9: ai, longer words 8

  • afraid The long a is ai, between fr and d.
  • complain The long a is ai, between mpl and n.
  • contain The long a is ai, between nt and n.
  • daisy The long a is ai, between d and sy.
  • explain The long a is ai, between xpl and n.
  • raisin The long a is ai, between r and sin.
  • remain The long a is ai, between m and n.
  • sailor The long a is ai, between s and lor.

List 10: ei as in vein 8

  • beige The long a is ei, e first, between b and ge.
  • feign The long a is ei, e first, between f and gn.
  • reign The long a is ei, e first, between r and gn. Sound-alike: rain.
  • rein The long a is ei, e first, between r and n. Sound-alike: rain.
  • reindeer The long a is ei, e first, between r and n.
  • unveil The long a is ei, e first, between nv and l.
  • veil The long a is ei, e first, between v and l.
  • vein The long a is ei, e first, between v and n. Sound-alike: vain.

List 11: a_e, longer words 8

  • awake Long a, then k, then a silent e.
  • became Long a, then m, then a silent e.
  • celebrate Long a, then t, then a silent e.
  • escape Long a, then p, then a silent e.
  • lemonade Long a, then d, then a silent e.
  • mistake Long a, then k, then a silent e.
  • pancake Long a, then k, then a silent e.
  • parade Long a, then d, then a silent e.

List 12: ai as in paint 8

  • drain The long a is ai, between dr and n.
  • faint The long a is ai, between f and nt.
  • paint The long a is ai, between p and nt.
  • plain The long a is ai, between pl and n. Sound-alike: plane.
  • praise The long a is ai, between pr and se.
  • saint The long a is ai, between s and nt.
  • stain The long a is ai, between st and n.
  • waist The long a is ai, between w and st. Sound-alike: waste.

List 13: ay, longer words 8

  • anyway The long a is ay, at the end, after nyw.
  • betray The long a is ay, at the end, after tr.
  • decay The long a is ay, at the end, after c.
  • display The long a is ay, at the end, after spl.
  • essay The long a is ay, at the end, after ss.
  • holiday The long a is ay, at the end, after d.
  • hooray The long a is ay, at the end, after r.
  • okay The long a is ay, at the end, after k.

List 14: ea as in steak 8

  • beefsteak Here ea spells long a, between fst and k.
  • break Here ea spells long a, between br and k. Sound-alike: brake.
  • breakdown Here ea spells long a, between br and k.
  • great Here ea spells long a, between gr and t. Sound-alike: grate.
  • greatly Here ea spells long a, between gr and tly.
  • heartbreak Here ea spells long a, between tbr and k.
  • outbreak Here ea spells long a, between tbr and k.
  • steak Here ea spells long a, between st and k. Sound-alike: stake.

List 15: a_e as in space 8

  • chase Long a, then s, then a silent e.
  • frame Long a, then m, then a silent e.
  • grade Long a, then d, then a silent e.
  • plane Long a, then n, then a silent e. Sound-alike: plain.
  • scale Long a, then l, then a silent e.
  • space Long a, then c, then a silent e.
  • stage Long a, then g, then a silent e.
  • taste Long a, then s, t, then a silent e.

List 16: ai as in rainbow 8

  • detail The long a is ai, between t and l.
  • mermaid The long a is ai, between rm and d.
  • painter The long a is ai, between p and n.
  • rainbow The long a is ai, between r and n.
  • raincoat The long a is ai, between r and n.
  • sailboat The long a is ai, between s and l.
  • trailer The long a is ai, between tr and ler.
  • waiter The long a is ai, between w and ter.

List 17: ay as in maybe 8

  • doorway The long a is ay, at the end, after rw.
  • hallway The long a is ay, at the end, after llw.
  • highway The long a is ay, at the end, after ghw.
  • layer The long a is ay, between l and er.
  • maybe The long a is ay, between m and be.
  • payment The long a is ay, between p and m.
  • player The long a is ay, between pl and er.
  • runway The long a is ay, at the end, after nw.

List 18: eigh as in weight 8

  • eighteen Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, at the start, before t.
  • freight Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, between fr and t.
  • freighter Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, between fr and ter.
  • neigh Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, at the end, after n.
  • neighbor Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, between n and bor.
  • neighboring Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, between n and b.
  • neighborly Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, between n and b.
  • weight Four letters, eigh, spell the long a, between w and t. Sound-alike: wait.

List 19: a as in potato 8

  • famous One a, alone, spells the long a, between f and m.
  • favor One a, alone, spells the long a, between f and vor.
  • flavor One a, alone, spells the long a, between fl and vor.
  • potato One a, alone, spells the long a, between t and to.
  • radio One a, alone, spells the long a, between r and dio.
  • station One a, alone, spells the long a, between st and t.
  • tornado One a, alone, spells the long a, between rn and do.
  • volcano One a, alone, spells the long a, between lc and no.

List 20: ey as in they 8

  • convey The long a is ey, at the end, after nv.
  • disobey The long a is ey, at the end, after b.
  • hey The long a is ey, at the end, after h. Sound-alike: hay.
  • obey The long a is ey, at the end, after b.
  • prey The long a is ey, at the end, after pr. Sound-alike: pray.
  • survey The long a is ey, at the end, after rv.
  • they The long a is ey, at the end, after th.
  • whey The long a is ey, at the end, after wh. Sound-alike: way.

How this list was compiled: Our own selection and grouping of 160 English words with a long a, twenty lists of eight, one spelling of the sound to a list (a_e, ai, ay, eigh, ei, ea, ey, and a alone at the end of a syllable), with our own hints. The letters left out of every word are the letters that spell long a. Every word has an English entry at https://en.wiktionary.org/ (license CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-10-03, and was checked the same day in the Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary, a record of General American pronunciation (https://github.com/cmusphinx/cmudict), where every listed pronunciation must have a long a. Every Wiktionary entry but neighborly prints a pronunciation with the same vowel. Each hint that names a sound-alike names a word with the same pronunciation in the pronouncing dictionary. Left out because a listed pronunciation has another vowel: yesterday, always, tomato and again. The spellings of long a (a, a...e, ai, ay, ea, ei, eigh, ey) are in the table of sounds and spellings at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_orthography, read on 2026-10-03. Spellings are American. No published word list or reading program was copied. Licence: own work

How it works

These long a worksheets open on a sort: fifteen words to write under a_e, ai and ay. Twenty lists of eight also cover eigh, ei, ea, ey and a alone, as in baby.

Read the full guide

Phonics ai and ay worksheets

A sort takes five words from the list on show and five from each of the next two. Open More options and pick a Word list: List 2 sorts ai, ay and eigh (rain, day, eight). List 6 sorts ai and ay against a alone (train, tray, baby).

Long a phonics practice worksheets with blanks

Under What goes on the sheet, choose Missing letters. Only the letters that spell long a are left out: c_k_ for cake, tr__n for train, ____t for eight. The list's eight words print in a box above the blanks.

  • Lists 4 and 18 are the eigh phonics worksheets: eight, weigh and sleigh, then weight, neighbor and freight.
  • The hints under the tool name sound-alikes: mail and male, plain and plane, eight and ate.

Questions and answers

What are the ways to spell long a?

These lists use eight: a_e as in cake, ai as in rain, ay as in day, eigh as in eight, ei as in vein, ea as in steak, ey as in they, and a alone, as in baby and potato.

Are there long a worksheets for kindergarten?

Lists 1 to 3 hold short words such as cake, rain and day. The grade is our suggestion, not a school's list: longer words such as explain, lemonade and holiday sit in Lists 9, 11 and 13.

Which list makes an ay phonics worksheet?

Lists 3, 7, 13 and 17 hold only ay words: day and play, tray and spray, okay and holiday, maybe and highway. Pick one under Word list, then any of the seven sheets.

Do the long a worksheets come with an answer key?

Yes. The key is the last page of the print: the sort with each word under its spelling, or the list with its letters filled in. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page to leave it off.

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