Spelling list: ar words: a starter list

Click on the speaker at the beginning of some of these words. Can you hear the /ar/ vowel sound? Let’s learn how to spell it!

In English spelling, the /ar/ vowel sound is frequently represented using the letters ar and this spelling pattern can fall at the beginning, in the middle, or at end of a word. Some examples are: army, farm, and star.

As you work through this word list, see if you can spot where the /ar/ vowel sound falls in each word. Try out the different spelling activities and games until you feel confident.

Later on, you will discover other ways of spelling the ar vowel sound and some rulebreakers which use the letters ar to spell different sounds.

far	We ate far too much last night.
jar	The coffee jar is empty.
scar	The injury left a scar.
star	Jo is the star of the new TV comedy show.
hard	English spelling is very hard.
yard	Leave your bike in the yard.
bark	The bark is coming off this tree.
dark	My son is afraid of the dark.
harm	Too much sun can harm your skin.
charm	Her friendly manner will charm you.
harp	A harp is a large stringed musical instrument.
sharp	That knife looks very sharp.
part	The president took part in a TV debate.
start	The film starts at 8 pm.
carve	I'll ask Dad to carve the beef.
starve	The refugees will starve if we don't send food.
arch	The tourists stood beneath the arch.
march	In the army they learn to march.
large	Sam comes from a very large family.
barge	He lived in a barge on the canal.