Vowel Teams Worksheet — Long A (ai/ay) (Free PDF)
Write & read practice for the ai and ay spellings of long A.
The two main spellings of long a — ai in the middle of a word, ay at the end — on facing pages, so the position rule is easy to see.
What’s inside
- An instructions page.
- AI words — middle of the word: r-ain, r-ail, m-ail, br-ain, ch-ain, dr-ain…
- AY words — end of the word: b-ay, cl-ay, d-ay, st-ay, str-ay, sw-ay…
Every word in this PDF (48)
Handy for checking the list fits your child before printing, or for making your own games.
rain, brain, rail, chain, mail, drain, main, grain, pain, plain, pail, snail, sail, stain, tail, trail, wait, train, bait, wail, maid, waist, faint, raid, saint, paint, claim, bay, stay, clay, stray, day, sway, gray, tray, hay, way, lay, may, decay, pay, delay, pray, ray, relay, repay, slay, spray
How to use it
- Blend each pair of chunks, noticing the vowel team in the second chunk.
- Write the whole word.
- Cover the pages and say a word — your child decides ai or ay by where the sound is.
- Read the two lists aloud back to back: same sound, different spelling.
Who it’s for
Ages 5–7 in Stage 5. ai is one of the 44 core sounds; ay is the next spelling to learn.
Where it fits: Stage 5 — Vowel Teams & Tricky Words
Goes well with
Teach phonics online — one short lesson a day
Sign in free and follow a plan that remembers where you are. Right here in your browser, on phone, tablet or computer — nothing to download.
- 92 step-by-step lessons, SATPIN first
- Big flashcards to show your child
- Games, checkpoints and progress for every sound
For little ones (2–6) there’s also our sound-play game on iPhone & iPad and Android.