Schwa Word List Spelling – Sorted by Vowel Letter

All 160 words

List 1: a at the start (ago) 20

aboard All passengers climbed aboard the ferry.
abound Wildflowers abound along the trail in May.
adjust Adjust the strap until the helmet fits.
adore The puppies adore their new owner.
ago We moved here two years ago.
ahead Walk ahead and hold the door.
alarm The fire alarm rang during lunch.
alert A loud beep keeps drivers alert.
alike The twins dress alike on Fridays.
amount Measure the amount of water in the jar.
annoy Loud drums annoy the neighbors.
apart We took the old clock apart.
appear Stars appear after the sun sets.
arise Questions arise in every science lab.
aside Step aside so the cart can pass.
astound Magic tricks astound the younger children.
attack Bees attack when their hive is shaken.
avoid Drivers slow down to avoid the pothole.
await The runners await the starting whistle.
aware The driver was aware of the icy road.

Show all 160 words (140 more)

List 2: a inside the word (infant) 20

caboose A red caboose ended the freight train.
cadet The cadet polished her boots.
canary A yellow canary sang in its cage.
errand I ran an errand to the post office.
formal He wore a formal suit to the dance.
husband Her husband drives the school bus.
infant The infant slept in a small crib.
lagoon Small fish darted through the lagoon.
lament The song is a lament for lost ships.
lapel He pinned a flag to his lapel.
loyal The loyal dog waited at the gate.
maroon Our team wears maroon and gold.
normal Snow in January is normal here.
patrol Rangers patrol the park at night.
platoon A platoon of soldiers marched past.
rural Farms fill the rural part of the county.
salami She sliced salami for the sandwiches.
servant The servant carried a tray of tea.
tenant A tenant pays rent each month.
truant A truant skips school without permission.

List 3: a at the end (extra) 20

alpha Alpha comes before beta.
antenna The radio antenna points at the sky.
area The rug covers a large area of the floor.
aura The old house had an aura of mystery.
comma Put a comma after each item.
diploma Each graduate received a diploma.
extra Bring an extra pencil to the test.
flora The flora of the desert includes cactus.
guava A guava has sweet white or pink flesh.
mocha Mocha flavoring is coffee mixed with chocolate.
orca An orca swims with its pod.
quota The crew met its quota of boxes.
replica The museum built a replica of the ship.
scuba Scuba divers carry tanks of air.
sierra A sierra is a jagged chain of mountains.
toga A Roman citizen wore a toga.
trivia We played a trivia game about space.
ultra Ultra bright lights lit the stage.
vista The trail ends at a wide vista.
yucca A yucca has stiff, pointed leaves.

List 4: e (taken) 20

barrel Rain filled the barrel by the barn.
chapel The wedding was held in a small chapel.
chicken The chicken laid an egg this morning.
emblem A flag is an emblem of a nation.
funnel Pour the oil through a funnel.
garment Each garment has a tag with its size.
given Each player was given a number.
kennel The dogs stayed at a kennel.
linen The table was set with white linen.
nickel The gumball machine takes a nickel.
novel She read a novel over the weekend.
oven Heat the oven before you bake.
parcel A parcel arrived in the mail today.
sunken Coral grew over the sunken anchor.
swollen The swollen creek spilled over its banks.
taken The photo was taken at the lake.
talent Juggling is her hidden talent.
towel Wrap the wet puppy in a towel.
vowel The letter e is a vowel.
woven The basket is woven from reeds.

List 5: i (nostril) 20

activate Press the button to activate the alarm.
captivate Fireworks captivate the whole crowd.
clarify Please clarify the last step for me.
classify Scientists classify animals into groups.
cultivate Gardeners cultivate roses along the fence.
dominate Tall pines dominate the hillside.
justify Good reasons justify the extra cost.
modify We had to modify the recipe.
motivate Good coaches motivate their players.
nominate Each class may nominate one student.
nostril Air enters through each nostril.
notify The library will notify you by mail.
peril The sailors faced peril in the storm.
qualify Two more wins qualify us for the final.
specify Specify the size when you order.
tendril A tendril of the vine curled around the pole.
terrify Thunderstorms terrify our old dog.
unify A common goal can unify a team.
verify Use a ruler to verify the length.
vigil The nurse kept vigil through the night.

List 6: o (melon) 20

awesome The whale's leap was an awesome sight.
compare Compare the two fractions.
control The pilot kept control of the plane.
crimson The maple leaves turned crimson.
custom Taking off shoes indoors is a custom here.
develop Buds develop into leaves in April.
kingdom The queen ruled a small kingdom.
lonesome The lonesome hound howled at night.
melon We shared a ripe melon at lunch.
method Her method uses fewer steps.
person One person at a time may enter.
pivot Pivot on one foot and pass the ball.
prison The old prison is now a museum.
protect Thick fur helps protect a fox from cold.
purpose State the purpose of your visit.
seldom It seldom snows near the coast.
summon Ring the bell to summon help.
tiresome Waiting in line is tiresome.
venom A rattlesnake makes venom.
wallop The batter gave the ball a wallop.

List 7: u (album) 20

album Grandma keeps photos in an album.
census A census worker knocked on our door.
crocus A purple crocus pushed through the snow.
discus She threw the discus across the field.
forum The town held a forum on the new park.
genus A genus is a group of related species.
joyful The band played a joyful tune.
locust A locust is a kind of grasshopper.
lotus A lotus blooms on the pond.
playful The playful kitten chased a string.
podium The speaker stood at the podium.
ruckus Geese raised a ruckus at dawn.
rumpus The puppies made a rumpus in the kitchen.
serum The lab tested a sample of serum.
sodium Sodium is a soft, silver-white metal.
spectrum A prism splits light into a spectrum.
stadium Fans filled the stadium before noon.
surround Tall fences surround the field.
suspend Workers suspend the sign from two chains.
tantrum The toddler threw a tantrum at bedtime.

List 8: two schwas (agenda) 20

abandon The crew had to abandon the leaking boat.
agenda The first item on the agenda is lunch.
attendant The attendant checked our tickets.
bountiful The orchard gave a bountiful harvest.
carnival A carnival came to town in July.
cassava Cassava is a starchy root grown in the tropics.
condiment Mustard is a condiment made from seeds.
criminal The detective tracked the criminal.
element Oxygen is an element.
marimba A marimba looks like a large xylophone.
maximum The elevator holds a maximum of ten people.
minimal The hike needs minimal gear.
minimum The minimum score to pass is seventy.
monument The monument honors the town's founders.
nominal The club charges a nominal fee.
pagoda A pagoda is a tower with many roofs.
seasonal Pumpkins are a seasonal crop.
sentiment The card had a kind sentiment inside.
sonata The pianist opened with a sonata.
terminal Our bus leaves from the main terminal.

How this list was compiled: Words chosen, sorted into 8 lists of 20 and given sentences for this site. The sorting is ours: each word is filed under the vowel letter that spells its schwa. THE SOUND: the pronunciation of all 160 words was read on 2 October 2026 in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (ahdictionary.com). A word was kept only when that dictionary prints the schwa symbol in an unstressed syllable where the list's letter stands, gives the word one pronunciation and one spelling, and (Lists 1 to 7) prints one schwa only; List 8 holds words with two or more. Left out on purpose: words where the dictionary prints a short i and not a schwa (anvil, denim, irritate, agitate), words where it prints no vowel at all before l or n (sandal, scandal, carton, pardon, bitten, eaten, satin), words that end in the sound of er (computer, consider), words with a second pronunciation (parent, quarrel, drama, data, basil, surplus, national, paradise, and document, whose verb is said another way) or a second form in the entry (among and amongst, woolen and woollen, hyena, veranda, plasma and plasm), and words with a sound-alike in Wiktionary (en.wiktionary.org, CC BY-SA 4.0, read the same day): plural and pleural, coral and choral. No word here is on another spelling or phonics list of this site, which is why about, lemon, pencil and circus are missing: they are on other lists. Facts in sentences were read in the same dictionary's definitions (truant, caboose, alpha, toga, sierra, yucca, guava, mocha, locust, genus, sodium, pagoda, marimba, cassava, and mustard for the condiment sentence). Sentences are ours and name no person. Licence: own work

How it works

A schwa is the weak vowel sound of an unstressed syllable, and any vowel letter can spell it. This list files 160 words in 8 lists of 20 by that letter: a, e, i, o or u.

Read the full guide

How the 8 lists are sorted

Lists 1 to 3 spell the schwa with a: at the start (ago, alarm), inside the word (infant, patrol) and at the end (extra, comma). List 4 uses e (taken, towel), List 5 i (nostril, notify), List 6 o (melon, custom) and List 7 u (album, forum). In List 8 each word has two: agenda, element, maximum.

Four sheets and a test

Every list prints four ways: Word list (the 20 words with their sentences), Test sheet (numbered lines, with a page for the reader last), ABC order and Missing letters. Start test reads the open list aloud and marks the typed answers at the end.

Half of List 5 ends in ify, where the i is the schwa: notify, clarify, justify.
Words like computer are left out: the last sound is a schwa joined to r.

Questions and answers

What is a schwa?

It is the weak, neutral vowel of an unstressed syllable, like the a in ago or the o in melon. Dictionaries print it as an upside-down e. A word is on this list only when the American Heritage Dictionary shows that symbol.

Which letters can spell the schwa sound?

All five vowel letters: a in ago and extra, e in taken, i in nostril, o in melon and u in album. The ear hears one weak sound, and only the word tells you the letter.

Why are about, lemon and pencil not on the list?

They are on other lists of this site, and this page repeats none. Parent, quarrel and drama are out for another reason: the dictionary gives each a second pronunciation.