VC & CVCVCC, CVCC, CCVCUp to CCCVCCCWith consonant digraphs & trigraphsPolysyllabic words
am  
at
mat
Sam
sat
Tam
tat

an
man
map
Nan
nap
Pam
pan
pat
sap
tan
tap

bag
bag
bam
ban
bap
bat
cab
cad
cam
can
cap
cat
gab
gad
gag
gap
gas
had
hag
ham
hat
mag
nab
nag
sag
tab
tag

ad
bad
dab
dad
dag
dam
Dan
fab
fad
fan
fat
mad
mag
pad
sad
tad
vac
van
vat

gal
lab
lad
lag
lam
lap
pal
rad
rag
ram
ran
rap
rat

jab
jag
jam
wag
zag
zap

bass
fax
jazz
lass
lax
mass
max
pax
sass
sax
tax
wax
yak
yam
yap
and
ant
band
Brad
bran
brat
camp
clad
clam
clan
clap
crab
dram
flan
flap
flat
glad
grab
gram
lamp
land
pant
plan
ramp
rant
rapt
sand
scam
scan
slam
slap
slat
snap
spam
span
spat
swam
trap
vamp
yank
acts
alps
amps
asps
bands
blabs
bland
brand
clamp
clams
clans
claps
crags
cramp
flags
flans
flaps
flats
flax
gland
grabs
grads
gramps
grams
grand
grant
pants
plans
plant
scabs
scads
scalp
scamp
scams
scans
scant
scrap
slabs
slags
slams
slant
slaps
slats
splats
stabs
stags
stamp
stand
stats
strand
strap
tramp
trams
traps
bang  
batch
black
brash
catch
chat
clang
clash
crack
crash
fang
flash
gang
hang
hatch
latch
match
patch
quack
rang
sang
slang
slash
smash
snack
snatch
splash
sprang
stack
stash
thank
thatch
thrash
track
trash
twang
whack
abbey  
abbot
added
adder
addict
addle
aggro
alley
allies
ammo
angelic
anger
angina
angle
angler
angora
angry
anguish
angular
apathy
apple
ashen
ashes
ashram
ashtray
assets
attic
babble
backer
backing
backlit
backlog
backup
baddy
badge
baffle
baggage
bagging
baggy
ballad
bangers
banging
bangle
banner
bannock
barrack
bashful
bashing
batching
batter
battle
battler
batty
biomass
blabber
blacken
bladder
bracken
bracket
bragger
bratty
cabbage
cabby
cackle
caddy
callow
cannabis
cannibal
cannon
canny
canvass
capping
cashbox
cashews
cashier
cassock
catching
catchup
cathode
cattery
cattle
catty
channel
chatted
chatter
chatty
clapper
classic
clatter
cossack
crabby
cracker
crackle
crackup
craggy
cranny
crappy
crassly
cutback
dabbing
dabble
dabbler
daddy
dagger
dangle
dapper
dapple
dashing
dazzle
despatch
dieback
dispatch
dratted
fallow
fanny
fathom
fatten
fatter
fattest
fatty
flabby
flannel
flapper
flasher
flatten
frazzle
gabble
gaffer
gaggle
gallon
gallop
gammon
ganging
gangly
gannet
gappy
gassing
gassy
gather
gladden
goanna
goulash
grammar
granny
grapple
hacker
hacking
hackles
hacksaw
haddock
haggard
haggis
haggle
hammock
hangar
hangdog
hanger
hangman
hangout
hangup
happen
happy
harass
hassle
hatcheck
hatchet
hijack
jabber
jackal
jackass
jacket
jackpot
jamming
jangle
jazzy
lackey
lacking
ladder
laggard
lagging
lapping
lashes
lassie
lasso
latchkey
lather
latter
lattice
madden
maddest
maggot
Mallee
mallet
mammal
mammon
mammoth
mangle
mango
manna
manners
mapping
masher
mashes
massage
masses
massing
massive
matchbox
matches
matching
matter
mattock
mismatch
morass
mudpack
nagging
nanny
napping
nappy
natty
outback
package
packer
packet
padded
padding
paddle
paddock
paddy
pallet
panniers
panning
passage
passive
patching
patchy
patter
pattern
patting
patty
payback
planner
planning
platter
potash
prattle
quango
rabbi
rabbit
rabble
raffle
ragged
ransack
rapper
rapping
rasher
rashly
ratchet
rattan
rattle
rattler
ratty
rehash
rematch
sabbath
sackful
sacking
sadden
sadder
saddest
saddle
saggy
sallow
sangria
sapper
sashay
sassy
satchel
savanna
savvy
scabby
scanner
scatty
scrappy
scratchy
setback
shabby
shackle
shaggy
shebang
slacken
slacker
slammer
slapper
slasher
smacker
snapper
snappy
snazzy
spammer
spangle
spanner
stacker
stagger
stammer
straggly
swagger
swaggie
tabby
tacker
tacking
tacky
tagging
tallow
tally
tangelo
tangent
tango
tangy
tannery
tannest
tanning
tapping
tassel
tattle
tattoo
tatty
tracker
traffic
trapper
trashy
twangy
uncanny
unlatch
unpack
vassal
wagging
whacky
whammy
wrangle
wrapper
yammer
yapping
zapping

3 responses to “a as in pat”

  1. Athena says:

    I am interested in how or whether you might distinguish the difference between the length of this short /æ/ sound in can (I can do it), an, and, at, dad; and can (tin can) man, pan, hand etc

    • alison says:

      Hi Athena, English phonology no longer has vowel prolongation as a distinctive feature. We did have actual short and long vowels in Old English, which really were short and long versions of the same vowel sound, but the Norman Conquest, Great Vowel Shift etc got rid of them. Phonemes are concepts in our heads and when they are produced in our mouths they can vary quite a bit, depending on what sounds precede and follow them, since our mouths are dynamic and they are always moving from one position to another when we talk and blurring sounds together (coarticulation). That’s why vowels followed by nasals like /n/ and /m/ sound a bit different from vowels followed by stops like /t/ and /d/, but for the purposes of filing words away in our heads and being able to understand and say and spell them, we classify all these vowel allophones as the same vowel phoneme, as long as they’re produced with about the same mouth position and movement, if any (front/back, high/low, rounded/unrounded, monophthong/diphthong etc). I hope that makes sense! Maybe in your accent some of these words contain a different vowel. I speak General Australian English and used the Macquarie dictionary’s phonetic transcriptions as my guide when compiling these lists. I hope that makes sense! All the best, Alison

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