Long A Words help readers recognize patterns that make the vowel sound like its own name.
Mastering these words builds strong reading and spelling skills. Below are several categories of Long A Words, arranged by common spelling patterns. After these lists, you can download a free printable version of this post and try engaging Long A word activities to reinforce your learning.
Types Of Long A Words
Long A Words appear in different spelling patterns
- A-Consonant-E (Such As “Cake”)
- Ai (Such As “Rain”)
- Ay (Such As “Day”)
- Ea (In Certain Words Such As “Great”)
- Ei (Such As “Veil”)
- Ey (Such As “They”)
- Eigh (Such As “Eight”)
- Open Syllable A (Where The A Stands Alone In A Syllable, Such As “Apron”)
All words listed below use a clear Long A sound.
1. Long A Words With The A-Consonant-E Pattern
These words end in a silent e that makes the vowel a say its name.
- Cake
- Bake
- Take
- Make
- Lake
- Rake
- Shake
- Flake
- Snake
- Plate
- Date
- Late
- Gate
- Rate
- Fate
- Crate
- Mate
- Hate
- Skate
- State
- Estate
- Grape
- Drape
- Shape
- Tape
- Ape
- Cape
- Scrape
- Flame
- Frame
- Blame
- Shame
- Fame
- Name
- Same
- Tame
- Game
- Inflame
- Create
- Inflate
- Deflate
- Placate
- Vibrate
- Migrate
- Pulsate
- Rotate
- Mandate
- Relate
- Negate
- Dictate
- Abate
- Update
- Translate
- Dedicate
- Educate
- Decorate
- Frustrate
- Replicate
- Complicate
- Elaborate
- Illustrate
- Renovate
- Advocate
- Consolidate
2. Long A Words With The Ai Pattern
In these words, the letters ai often appear in the middle, making the long A sound.
- Rain
- Main
- Pain
- Gain
- Brain
- Drain
- Train
- Strain
- Chain
- Plain
- Grain
- Stain
- Attain
- Detain
- Retain
- Refrain
- Domain
- Maintain
- Obtain
- Explain
- Complain
- Sustain
- Faint
- Paint
- Saint
- Quaint
- Trait
- Gait
- Braid
- Afraid
- Maiden
- Aim
- Aimless
- Ail
- Ailing
- Sail
- Sailor
- Snail
- Trail
- Failure
- Prevail
- Frail
- Strait
- Praising
- Appraisal
- Claimant
- Disclaim
- Awaiting
- Rainfall
- Raincoat
- Painter
- Trainer
- Remain
- Regain
- Claimed
- Claiming
- Mailbox
- Tail
- Tailor
- Jail
- Avail
3. Long A Words With The Ay Pattern
The letters ay often appear at the end of words.
- Day
- May
- Say
- Pay
- Clay
- Play
- Stay
- Tray
- Array
- Portray
- Relay
- Delay
- Spray
- Stray
- Display
- Dismay
- Halfway
- Anyway
- Away
- Holiday
- Birthday
- Subway
- Byway
- Essay
- Runway
- Gateway
- Archway
- Fairway
- Causeway
- Spillway
- Stairway
- Pathway
- Driveway
- Freeway
- Speedway
- Tollway
- Leeway
- Faraway
- Foldaway
- Outlay
- Overlay
- Betray
- Prepay
- Disarray
- Lay
- Payday
- Railway
- Sunday
- Monday
- Heyday
- Alleyway
- Motorway
- Seaway
- Mayday
- Gray
- Astray
4. Long A Words With The Ea Pattern
In certain words, ea makes a long A sound.
- Great
- Greater
- Greatest
- Greatly
- Greatness
- Greaten
- Great-hearted
- Break
- Breaker
- Breakable
- Breakage
- Breakaway
- Breakwater
- Breakfront
- Outbreak
- Outbreaking
- Heartbreak
- Heartbreakers
- Upbreak
- Rebreak
- Steak
- Steakhouse
- Break-in
- Break-out
- Break-even
- Break-of-day
- Breakdance
- Breakroom
- Breakneck
- Breakbeat
- Breakline
- Breaktime
- Breakboard
- Breakwall
- Great-grandfather
- Great-grandmother
- Great-grandson
- Great-granddaughter
- Great-great-grandfather
- Greatnesses
- Breakthrough
- Breakouts
- Heartbreaks
- Breakpoint
- Breakpoints
- Breakfall
- Breakfalls
- Breakbeats
- Breakdances
- Breakdancer
- Breakdancers
- Breakrooms
- Breakfronts
- Breakaways
- Breakwaters
- Breaklines
- Breakboards
- Breaktimes
5. Long A Words With The Ei Pattern
In these words, ei makes a long A sound.
- Veil
- Veils
- Veiled
- Veiling
- Vein
- Veins
- Veined
- Veining
- Veinless
- Veiny
- Veinier
- Veiniest
- Veinlike
- Veinlet
- Veinlets
- Rein
- Reins
- Reined
- Reining
- Reindeer
- Reindeers
- Reign
- Reigns
- Reigned
- Reigning
- Deign
- Deigns
- Deigned
- Deigning
- Feign
- Feigns
- Feigned
- Feigning
- Feint
- Feints
- Feinted
- Feinting
- Beige
- Reify
- Reification
- Deity
- Forfeit
- Forfeits
- Forfeited
- Forfeiting
- Counterfeit
- Counterfeits
- Counterfeited
- Counterfeiting
- Counterfeiter
- Leis
6. Long A Words With The Ey Pattern
In these words, ey at the end or within makes a long A sound.
- They
- Prey
- Preys
- Preyed
- Preying
- Hey
- Grey
- Greys
- Greyed
- Greying
- Obey
- Obeyed
- Obeying
- Obeys
- Disobey
- Disobeyed
- Disobeying
- Disobeys
- Convey
- Conveyed
- Conveying
- Conveys
- Survey
- Surveyed
- Surveying
- Surveys
- Purvey
- Purveyed
- Purveying
- Purveys
- Osprey
- Ospreys
- Abeyance
- Abeyances
- Conveyance
- Conveyances
- Trey
- Treys
- Okey
7. Long A Words With The Eigh Pattern
Here, eigh creates a long A sound.
- Eight
- Eighty
- Eighteen
- Eighth
- Weight
- Weighty
- Weights
- Weighed
- Weighing
- Outweigh
- Outweighs
- Outweighed
- Outweighing
- Freight
- Freighter
- Freighted
- Freighting
- Freights
- Freightage
- Neighbor
- Neighbors
- Neighborhood
- Neighborhoods
- Neighbour
- Neighbours
- Neighbourhood
- Neighbourhoods
- Neighbourly
- Neighbourliness
- Neighbouring
- Neigh
- Neighs
- Neighed
- Neighing
- Weightless
- Weightlessness
- Overweight
- Underweight
- Lightweight
- Reweight
- Reweighted
- Overweighted
- Underweighted
- Weightier
- Weightiest
- Weighting
- Weighted
- Weigh
- Sleigh
- Sleighed
- Sleighing
- Sleighs
8. Long A Words With An Open Syllable A
In these words, the letter a is part of an open syllable, giving it a long A sound.
- Apron
- Agent
- Alien
- Angel
- Asia
- April
- Acorn
- Apex
- Apricot
- Aviary
- Matron
- Patron
- Patriot
- Nature
- Paper
- Laser
- Crater
- Beta
- Data
- Plato
- Halo
- Tomato
- Potato
- Basic
- Nasal
- Basil
- Gravy
- Hazy
- Baby
- Lady
- Maybe
- Lazy
- Bacon
- Raven
- Favor
- Flavor
- Savior
- Labor
- Vacant
- Patient
- Station
- Nation
- Agentive
- Atypical
- Animate
- Capable
- Courageous
- Container
- Detail
- Pavilion
- Ratio
- Radiant
- Radar
- Fiasco
- Volcano
- Aorta
- Alias
- Amenable
- Sonar
- Creator
- Oasis
- Volcanoes
- Tomato’s
- Navigator
- Aviator
Downloadable And Printable Version
A free, downloadable PDF version of this post is available. It includes these Long A Words, example sentences, and quick reference tips.
Print it for phonics lessons, reading centers, or homeschooling activities. Just click the download link provided and use it to support literacy development.
Example Sentences With Long A Words
Below are several sentences featuring Long A words.
Notice how the emphasized words sound like the letter name “A.” Reading and using these words in context can improve fluency and comprehension.
- I baked a cake for the party.
- We decided to wait under the tree until the rain stopped.
- She found a gray feather on the windowsill.
- The gardener used a rake to clear the leaves.
- He set the glass on a tray before bringing it to the table.
- My uncle owns a large estate near the river.
- The fish will sail across the pond if given a gentle push.
- Please do not complain about the noise outside.
- We watched the sun rise over the great mountain range.
- She will explain the instructions before we begin the test.
- I saw a bright flame flickering in the lantern.
- The team will prevail if they work together.
- We took a short break to enjoy a juicy steak.
- The birds obey the changing seasons and fly south each year.
- He tried to escape the room by finding a hidden key.
- The student used a crayon to color the map in bold hues.
- She placed her bacon on a plate, ready for breakfast.
- The faint sound of laughter drifted through the hall.
- We will translate the note to understand its meaning.
- He wore a warm bathing suit in the heated pool.
Long A Word Activities
Encourage learners to explore these words in engaging ways. Try a mix of activities to promote comprehension and retention.
Word Sorting
Group words by their spelling patterns. For example
A-Consonant-E words in one column and Ai words in another. Let learners cut out words from a printed list and paste them into categorized sections.
Fill-In-The-Blank Stories
Write a short story and leave blanks where Long A Words should appear. Provide a list of words at the bottom of the page. Students fill in the blanks to create silly or serious narratives, reinforcing how the words function in context.
Phonics Bingo
Create bingo cards with Long A Words in each square. Call out words and have learners cover them as they hear them. The first one to get a line yells “Bingo!” This helps learners listen closely and recognize the Long A sound.
Memory Match
Write pairs of Long A Words on cards. Mix them up face down. Players flip two cards at a time, trying to find a match. When they find two identical words, they keep them. This boosts visual memory and word recognition.
Long A Scavenger Hunt
Hide word cards around the classroom. Challenge learners to find specific categories, like three Ai words or two Eigh words. After collecting them, they read the words aloud and explain which pattern each belongs to.
Mad Libs With Long A
Write a short scene but remove key nouns and verbs that contain the Long A sound.
Have learners choose from a list of Long A Words to fill in the blanks. They will practice reading, comprehension, and enjoy creating silly scenarios.
Example Mad Libs Story:
One sunny day, I saw a [noun (long a, animal)] sitting on my [noun (long a, object)]. I called my friend, the [noun (long a, person)], and asked if they wanted to come over and eat some [noun (long a, food)] with me. They [verb (long a, past tense)] over so fast that they almost knocked over my [noun (long a, thing)] with their [noun (long a, tool/object)]!
“Wow!” I said, “I can’t believe how quickly you [verb (long a, present tense)]!” We both laughed so hard that even the [noun (long a, animal)] next door started to make a [adjective (long a)] sound.
It turned out to be the perfect afternoon, thanks to a little snack and some simple fun with friends!
Reader’s Theater
Assign groups of students a short play script that includes plenty of Long A Words. Have them highlight all the words they find and then rehearse and perform the play. This adds an oral reading component that solidifies the sound-to-print connection.
Story Retelling
Give learners a picture book and ask them to retell the story using at least ten Long A Words from the lists. This encourages them to think creatively while making connections between vocabulary and narrative context.
Word Wall Challenge
Create a Long A Word Wall in the classroom. Add new words as learners discover them in books or during lessons. Periodically, challenge learners to pick a word from the wall and use it in an original sentence or find a rhyme.
All these activities provide varied practice, ensuring that learners not only recognize Long A patterns but feel confident using the words in speech and writing.
You could also use a video like this to help kids learn these word sounds:
Final Thoughts
Learning Long A Words can open doors to smoother reading and clearer spelling. Keep practicing with these lists, try different activities, and celebrate every step of progress. Each time learners identify and pronounce these words correctly, they build a stronger foundation in literacy.