Long a (ai, ay) decodable sentences and word list
36 words with ai in the middle of a word and ay at the end, as in rain and day, and 10 sentences a child can sound out. Project them, or print the sheet.
Long a (ai, ay): ai in the middle of a word and ay at the end, as in rain and day. 36 words.
- rain
- tail
- nail
- pail
- sail
- wait
- train
- paint
- snail
- chain
- brain
- gain
- main
- pain
- rail
- jail
- fail
- aim
- day
- say
- may
- play
- stay
- tray
- gray
- way
- hay
- pay
- clay
- spray
- lay
- bay
- jay
- ray
- pray
Tricky words used so far, read by sight: a, the, is, has, to, I, my.
About this pattern
Two of the common spellings for the long a sound are ai (in the middle of a word) and ay (at the end). The usual rule of thumb is that English words rarely end in ai, so the sound at the end is spelled ay. Children can use the rule when they spell, and when they read they simply see the pair and say its name.
What to say
When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking is a rhyme many teachers use, but it works only some of the time. Better to teach the pair as a unit: ai says /a/, ay says /a/.
How to use it
- Start in Word list: say the pattern, then read the words together with the coloured letters as your clue.
- Press Full screen (F), choose Sentences, one at a time, and use the arrow keys for the next sentence.
- Press Print for a sheet with the words and the numbered sentences to take home.
Ideas for class
- Sort words by spelling: ai in the middle, ay at the end.
- Play Rain or Day: students read a word and show a hand for rain (ai) or the sun (ay).
- Build a word with tiles and move the pair: tr-ai-n, tr-ay.
- Read the sentences aloud with a partner and listen for the long a sounds.
Related
Questions
Is ai or ay used for a word like mail or play?
Ai is in the middle (mail, rain), ay is at the end (day, play). A word that needs the long a sound at the end almost always uses ay.
Where are eigh and a-e?
The silent e spelling is on the magic e page. The eigh spelling (eight, weigh) is rare and is learned as a sight word.
How do I know each sentence is decodable?
Every word in these 10 sentences is either on the word list for long a (ai, ay) or for a pattern taught before it, or is one of the tricky words read by sight (a, the, is, has, to, I, my). The list is checked by a program, so a word that has not been taught cannot slip in.
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