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Unit 10: Spelling the sound /ar/

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Unit 10: Spelling choices for /ar/ sound; ar, al or a?

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Page 7 of 10

Spelling the sound /ar/: ar, al or just a?

Yes, there are again those pesky words that will not follow the rules.

Rule Breakers - these words break spelling rules

A few words use the letters /al/ to spell the /ar/ sound. These are:

calm
balm
balmy (a soothing ointment) (mild and gentle)
palm (same spelling for both the tree and inside of hand)
calf (same spelling for both the animal and part of leg)
half
Learning Tip for English spelling

Can you make up a sentence using as many of these words as possible?

They can be as silly as you like, for example:

English words with sound ar I spent a balmy evening sitting under a palm tree by the calm sea watching a calf rub half a tub of balm onto his hoof.
Rule Breakers - these words break spelling rules

A few words use the letter a to spell the /ar/ sound.

Read these two words aloud:

father rather

Some of you will hear the /ar/ sound. For some, your accents will mean that the /a/ is /a/ short sound.

Here are some more examples. Click on them to hear the different sounds:


Here are more examples for you to have a look at:

bath
path
staff
craft
daft
raft
shaft
after
ask
bask
cask
flask
mask
task
basket
casket
can't
plant
slant

Rule-breaker
aunt
brass
class
glass
grass
pass
clasp
gasp
grasp
chance
dance
glance
prance
stance
advance
blast
fast
last
mast
past
vast
castle
pasture
Learn the Words:

Learning Tip for English spelling Can you make up a sentence using as many of these words as possible?

They can be as silly as you like:

English words with sound ar

This raft is a daft craft.

Don't have a bath on the path.

I can see in advance from your glance that I don't stand a chance of a dance.


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The Spellzone interactive course is intended to be used online and may not be printed.

"Spellzone fits in beautifully with our Scope and Sequence of Phonological Awareness and Spelling. It also aligns perfectly with the four areas of spelling knowledge and uses the Brain, Ears, Eyes approach to learning spelling."
Thank you!

Teacher, Australia