Kindergarten · List 1 of 6 · 32 words

Short a words

Short a says /a/ as in apple. A free kindergarten spelling list: hear each word, print a practice sheet, or take the test.

Take the spelling test Practice spelling in Wordstone

The words

  • cat
  • hat
  • map
  • bag
  • van
  • jam
  • cap
  • man
  • pan
  • rat
  • sad
  • bat
  • dad
  • fan
  • tap
  • an
  • as
  • at
  • had
  • has
  • pad
  • sat
  • tag
  • mat
  • ham
  • pat
  • cab
  • gap
  • ram
  • tan

Tricky words to learn by heart

These come up alongside this pattern but don't follow it.

  • the
  • I

In a sentence

  • cat: A fluffy cat sleeps by the castle fire.
  • hat: The wizard wears a tall blue hat.
  • map: The dragon drew a map to the hidden treasure.
  • bag: The wizard packed his potions in a big bag.
  • van: A friendly van carried the knights to the castle.
  • jam: The baker spread sweet red jam on warm bread.

Mistakes to watch for

For grown-ups helping at home: these are the kinds of slips this pattern tends to bring.

WordOften written as
catket, catt
hathet, hatt
mapmep, mapp
bagbagg, bog
vanvann, vaen

Take the Short a words spelling test

10 words, read aloud. No sign-up, no timer, and nothing is saved.

FOR GROWN-UPS

Sheets built around your child's tricky words

This free sheet is the same for every child. With Hero Membership, Wordstone prints practice sheets from the sounds and words your child finds hard, and a certificate for each spelling unit they master.

  • Practice sheets from your child's own trickiest sounds
  • A certificate for every unit they master
  • Detailed reports and a weekly email
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A sample practice sheet for a hero named BraveOtter42, with the letters ai and ou blanked out of words and sentences to fill in.
Sample practice sheet
A sample certificate of mastery for BraveOtter42, for the spelling of ai and ay.
Sample certificate
Next listShort i words