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FamilyPhonics > Alpha-Sounds > Alphabet Rhymes > A a

Letter: A a

A a | B b | S s | ng

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The letter 'a' makes two different sounds:

short-a, sometimes written with a cup-shaped curve over the 'a':
ă
long-a, sometimes written with a bar over the 'a':
ā
our "short" vowels really are a little shorter than our "long" vowels, but mainly they sound totally different!

Listen for the 'a' sounds in this rhyme:

Can you pick out which words have an 'a' sound?
Which ones have a short-a /ă/ sound?
Which ones have a long-a /ā/?

Note to Reader In the first and last line, read the sounds of the vowel (almost machine-gun style); do not read the letter name:

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ă ă ă ă ā

Ădăm āte ăn ăpple,

ănd sin begăn thăt wāy.

Ă Ă Ă Ă Ā

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Note to Reader The first and last lines should be read using the sounds of the vowel, not its name: "/ă/, /ă/, /ă/, /ă/, /ā/". Of course, you should also talk about the name of the letter 'a' and its symbols. The purpose of the rhyme is to emphasize the short as well as the long sound-value of the letter.

Scripture Note This rhyme reflects our common use of an apple as the symbol for the fruit of that forbidden tree. The Bible, however, simply says “fruit,” so be sure the child understands that we really do not know what kind of fruit it was.