Preschool - Spelling

Preschool Short A Words Worksheet

6 printable versions - Challenge Me - About 5 minutes each

Version
Play matching gamePrint worksheet 1
Save for my childPrint
0 of 6 answeredYour answers stay here while this page is open

Short A Words

Preschool - Spelling - Challenge Me

Worksheet 1

  1. Which letter belongs in the last box?

    Read aloud: The word in the boxes is fat. Say it slowly: /f/ /a/ /t/.

    3 letter boxes, 1 of them empty.A row of 3 boxes for the letters of a word. 1 box is empty and drawn with a dashed edge for the missing letters.fa

  2. Which letter belongs in the first box?

    Read aloud: The word in the boxes is zap. Say it slowly: /z/ /a/ /p/.

    3 letter boxes, 1 of them empty.A row of 3 boxes for the letters of a word. 1 box is empty and drawn with a dashed edge for the missing letters.ap

  3. Two names have the short a sound. Which one does not?

    Read aloud: Name all three pictures. Two of them have /a/ hiding inside. One does not.

    A card showing the letter a.A row of 1 boxes for the letters of a word. Each box holds one letter.a

  4. Which letter belongs in the first box?

    Read aloud: The word in the boxes is tan. Say it slowly: /t/ /a/ /n/.

    3 letter boxes, 1 of them empty.A row of 3 boxes for the letters of a word. 1 box is empty and drawn with a dashed edge for the missing letters.an

  5. Which letter belongs in the last box?

    Read aloud: The word in the boxes is tab. Say it slowly: /t/ /a/ /b/.

    3 letter boxes, 1 of them empty.A row of 3 boxes for the letters of a word. 1 box is empty and drawn with a dashed edge for the missing letters.ta

  6. Two names have the short a sound. Which one does not?

    Read aloud: Name all three pictures. Two of them have /a/ hiding inside. One does not.

    A card showing the letter a.A row of 1 boxes for the letters of a word. Each box holds one letter.a
PencilGopencilgo.ai

About this worksheet

Short A is the vowel most children meet first, and it is the sound that turns two consonants into a word. In cat the /k/ and the /t/ are easy to hear; the /a/ between them is quieter, shorter, and much easier to skip. So this page works on that middle sound from two directions. Some questions show three boxes with the outside letters printed and the middle one empty, and the grown-up says the word so your child can decide which letter spells the sound in the gap. Others show no word at all, only pictures, and ask which name has /a/ in it anywhere. Later versions move the empty box to the front or the end of the word and leave A sitting in the list of choices, because a child who has learned that the answer is always A will pick it there too, and that is worth catching. Touch each box and make one sound per box.

What your child will learn

  • Hear the short /a/ sound inside a spoken word
  • Choose the letter that spells a vowel sound in the middle of a word
  • Find /a/ in the name of a picture
  • Check where the empty box is before answering

Worked example

The boxes show c, an empty space, and t, and the grown-up says cat: /k/ /a/ /t/. The gap is the middle sound, so the letter is A.

Common mistake

Answering A for every empty box. Once the front and back boxes start being asked, A is still on the list of choices and is still wrong there.

Helpful hint

Point at each box and make one sound. Stop when you reach the empty one.

Last Letter of the WordThree-Letter Words

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with short a words?
Answering A for every empty box. Once the front and back boxes start being asked, A is still on the list of choices and is still wrong there.
How can I help my child with short a words?
Point at each box and make one sound. Stop when you reach the empty one.
Are these preschool spelling worksheets free to print?
Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

More preschool word building worksheets

See all word building worksheets