Word family

Long a word families

The answer

Long a word families are groups of one-syllable words that share a rime with the long a sound, like -ake, -ain, -ate and -ay. Our lexicon has 230 public words in 27 such families of three or more words, listed family by family.

What do these families share?

Long a families split three ways by spelling: a with silent e (ate, ake, ame, ave), ai (ail, ain, aid) and ay at the end. That split is the most useful thing on this page, because families rhyme across spellings: rate and wait, sail and sale, main and mane. Our tables keep each spelling as its own family so students see the pattern, and the ladder below crosses between them.

The families and their words

The -ay family, as in day

23 words

The -ay family, as in day
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
day	d + ay	Lesson 84
lay	l + ay	Lesson 84
may	m + ay	Lesson 84
pay	p + ay	Lesson 84
say	s + ay	Lesson 84
way	w + ay	Lesson 84
play	pl + ay	Lesson 84
stay	st + ay	Lesson 84
bay	b + ay	Lesson 84
hay	h + ay	Lesson 84
nay	n + ay	Lesson 84
ray	r + ay	Lesson 84
pray	pr + ay	Lesson 84
tray	tr + ay	Lesson 84
spray	spr + ay	Lesson 84
stray	str + ay	Lesson 84
jay	j + ay	Lesson 84
bray	br + ay	Lesson 84
clay	cl + ay	Lesson 84
fray	fr + ay	Lesson 84
spay	sp + ay	Lesson 84
sway	sw + ay	Lesson 84
gray	gr + ay	Lesson 84

The -ail family, as in fail

17 words

The -ail family, as in fail
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
fail	f + ail	Lesson 84
mail	m + ail	Lesson 84
hail	h + ail	Lesson 84
jail	j + ail	Lesson 84
nail	n + ail	Lesson 84
rail	r + ail	Lesson 84
sail	s + ail	Lesson 84
tail	t + ail	Lesson 84
snail	sn + ail	Lesson 84
trail	tr + ail	Lesson 84
ail	(none) + ail	Lesson 84
bail	b + ail	Lesson 84
pail	p + ail	Lesson 84
wail	w + ail	Lesson 84
flail	fl + ail	Lesson 84
frail	fr + ail	Lesson 84
quail	qu + ail	Lesson 84

The -ate family, as in ate

16 words

The -ate family, as in ate
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
ate	(none) + ate	Lesson 54
date	d + ate	Lesson 54
fate	f + ate	Lesson 54
hate	h + ate	Lesson 54
late	l + ate	Lesson 54
rate	r + ate	Lesson 54
state	st + ate	Lesson 54
gate	g + ate	Lesson 54
mate	m + ate	Lesson 54
plate	pl + ate	Lesson 54
pate	p + ate	Lesson 54
crate	cr + ate	Lesson 54
grate	gr + ate	Lesson 54
skate	sk + ate	Lesson 54
slate	sl + ate	Lesson 54
spate	sp + ate	Lesson 54

The -ain family, as in gain

15 words

The -ain family, as in gain
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
gain	g + ain	Lesson 84
lain	l + ain	Lesson 84
main	m + ain	Lesson 84
pain	p + ain	Lesson 84
rain	r + ain	Lesson 84
chain	ch + ain	Lesson 84
plain	pl + ain	Lesson 84
train	tr + ain	Lesson 84
vain	v + ain	Lesson 84
brain	br + ain	Lesson 84
drain	dr + ain	Lesson 84
grain	gr + ain	Lesson 84
strain	str + ain	Lesson 84
stain	st + ain	Lesson 84
sprain	spr + ain	Lesson 84

The -ake family, as in make

15 words

The -ake family, as in make
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
make	m + ake	Lesson 54
sake	s + ake	Lesson 54
take	t + ake	Lesson 54
bake	b + ake	Lesson 54
cake	c + ake	Lesson 54
fake	f + ake	Lesson 54
lake	l + ake	Lesson 54
wake	w + ake	Lesson 54
brake	br + ake	Lesson 54
shake	sh + ake	Lesson 54
stake	st + ake	Lesson 54
rake	r + ake	Lesson 54
flake	fl + ake	Lesson 54
quake	qu + ake	Lesson 54
snake	sn + ake	Lesson 54

The -ame family, as in came

12 words

The -ame family, as in came
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
came	c + ame	Lesson 54
game	g + ame	Lesson 54
name	n + ame	Lesson 54
same	s + ame	Lesson 54
blame	bl + ame	Lesson 54
frame	fr + ame	Lesson 54
shame	sh + ame	Lesson 54
fame	f + ame	Lesson 54
tame	t + ame	Lesson 54
flame	fl + ame	Lesson 54
dame	d + ame	Lesson 54
lame	l + ame	Lesson 54

The -ave family, as in gave

12 words

The -ave family, as in gave
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
gave	g + ave	Lesson 54
save	s + ave	Lesson 54
grave	gr + ave	Lesson 54
cave	c + ave	Lesson 54
rave	r + ave	Lesson 54
wave	w + ave	Lesson 54
brave	br + ave	Lesson 54
slave	sl + ave	Lesson 54
pave	p + ave	Lesson 54
crave	cr + ave	Lesson 54
shave	sh + ave	Lesson 54
stave	st + ave	Lesson 54

The -ade family, as in made

12 words

The -ade family, as in made
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
made	m + ade	Lesson 54
wade	w + ade	Lesson 54
blade	bl + ade	Lesson 54
grade	gr + ade	Lesson 54
shade	sh + ade	Lesson 54
trade	tr + ade	Lesson 54
bade	b + ade	Lesson 54
fade	f + ade	Lesson 54
jade	j + ade	Lesson 54
lade	l + ade	Lesson 54
glade	gl + ade	Lesson 54
spade	sp + ade	Lesson 54

The -ace family, as in face

11 words

The -ace family, as in face
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
face	f + ace	Lesson 60
race	r + ace	Lesson 60
place	pl + ace	Lesson 60
space	sp + ace	Lesson 60
trace	tr + ace	Lesson 60
ace	(none) + ace	Lesson 60
pace	p + ace	Lesson 60
grace	gr + ace	Lesson 60
lace	l + ace	Lesson 60
mace	m + ace	Lesson 60
brace	br + ace	Lesson 60

The -ale family, as in sale

11 words

The -ale family, as in sale
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
sale	s + ale	Lesson 54
scale	sc + ale	Lesson 54
male	m + ale	Lesson 54
pale	p + ale	Lesson 54
tale	t + ale	Lesson 54
stale	st + ale	Lesson 54
whale	wh + ale	Lesson 54
ale	(none) + ale	Lesson 54
bale	b + ale	Lesson 54
gale	g + ale	Lesson 54
hale	h + ale	Lesson 54

The -aze family, as in maze

10 words

The -aze family, as in maze
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
maze	m + aze	Lesson 54
daze	d + aze	Lesson 54
faze	f + aze	Lesson 54
gaze	g + aze	Lesson 54
haze	h + aze	Lesson 54
raze	r + aze	Lesson 54
blaze	bl + aze	Lesson 54
craze	cr + aze	Lesson 54
glaze	gl + aze	Lesson 54
graze	gr + aze	Lesson 54

The -ane family, as in plane

9 words

The -ane family, as in plane
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
plane	pl + ane	Lesson 54
lane	l + ane	Lesson 54
sane	s + ane	Lesson 54
cane	c + ane	Lesson 54
mane	m + ane	Lesson 54
pane	p + ane	Lesson 54
vane	v + ane	Lesson 54
wane	w + ane	Lesson 54
crane	cr + ane	Lesson 54

The -ape family, as in tape

8 words

The -ape family, as in tape
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
tape	t + ape	Lesson 54
shape	sh + ape	Lesson 54
ape	(none) + ape	Lesson 54
cape	c + ape	Lesson 54
gape	g + ape	Lesson 54
drape	dr + ape	Lesson 54
grape	gr + ape	Lesson 54
scrape	scr + ape	Lesson 54

The -age family, as in age

7 words

The -age family, as in age
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
age	(none) + age	Lesson 61
page	p + age	Lesson 61
stage	st + age	Lesson 61
cage	c + age	Lesson 61
rage	r + age	Lesson 61
wage	w + age	Lesson 61
sage	s + age	Lesson 61

The -aid family, as in aid

7 words

The -aid family, as in aid
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
aid	(none) + aid	Lesson 84
paid	p + aid	Lesson 84
laid	l + aid	Lesson 84
raid	r + aid	Lesson 84
maid	m + aid	Lesson 84
braid	br + aid	Lesson 84
staid	st + aid	Lesson 84

The -aste family, as in taste

6 words

The -aste family, as in taste
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
taste	t + aste	Lesson 68
waste	w + aste	Lesson 68
paste	p + aste	Lesson 68
baste	b + aste	Lesson 68
haste	h + aste	Lesson 68
chaste	ch + aste	Lesson 68

The -ait family, as in wait

5 words

The -ait family, as in wait
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
wait	w + ait	Lesson 84
bait	b + ait	Lesson 84
gait	g + ait	Lesson 84
trait	tr + ait	Lesson 84
strait	str + ait	Lesson 84

The -aint family, as in saint

5 words

The -aint family, as in saint
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
saint	s + aint	Lesson 84
faint	f + aint	Lesson 84
paint	p + aint	Lesson 84
taint	t + aint	Lesson 84
quaint	qu + aint	Lesson 84

The -ase family, as in base

4 words

The -ase family, as in base
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
base	b + ase	Lesson 54
case	c + ase	Lesson 54
chase	ch + ase	Lesson 54
vase	v + ase	Lesson 54

The -ange family, as in range

4 words

The -ange family, as in range
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
range	r + ange	Lesson 68
change	ch + ange	Lesson 68
strange	str + ange	Lesson 68
mange	m + ange	Lesson 68

The -ey family, as in they

3 words

The -ey family, as in they
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
they	th + ey	Lesson 114
hey	h + ey	Lesson 114
prey	pr + ey	Lesson 114

The -eight family, as in eight

3 words

The -eight family, as in eight
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
eight	(none) + eight	Lesson 114
weight	w + eight	Lesson 114
freight	fr + eight	Lesson 114

The -aise family, as in raise

3 words

The -aise family, as in raise
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
raise	r + aise	Lesson 84
praise	pr + aise	Lesson 84
braise	br + aise	Lesson 84

The -ein family, as in vein

3 words

The -ein family, as in vein
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
vein	v + ein	Lesson 114
rein	r + ein	Lesson 114
skein	sk + ein	Lesson 114

The -eign family, as in reign

3 words

The -eign family, as in reign
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
reign	r + eign	Lesson 118
deign	d + eign	Lesson 118
feign	f + eign	Lesson 118

The -eigh family, as in weigh

3 words

The -eigh family, as in weigh
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
weigh	w + eigh	Lesson 114
neigh	n + eigh	Lesson 114
sleigh	sl + eigh	Lesson 114

The -athe family, as in bathe

3 words

The -athe family, as in bathe
Word	Onset + rime	Readable after
bathe	b + athe	Lesson 54
lathe	l + athe	Lesson 54
swathe	sw + athe	Lesson 54

Word ladder: change one sound at a time

Every step is a real word from the list, and each one changes exactly one sound. Say the change aloud before the student writes the new word.

Word ladder for Long a families
Step	Word	The change
1	age	start here
2	aid	change /jh/ to /d/
3	ate	change /d/ to /t/
4	ace	change /t/ to /s/
5	eight	change /s/ to /t/
6	date	add /d/
7	day	take away /t/
8	lay	change /d/ to /l/
9	lain	add /n/
10	late	change /n/ to /t/

How do you teach it?

Teach one spelling at a time: silent e first, then ai and ay together with the position rule. Once all three are known, put rhyming families side by side (ail and ale, ain and ane) and talk about how a reader knows which spelling to use.

"Sail and sale sound the same. S-a-i-l is what a boat has. S-a-l-e is when the price drops. Same sound, two families. When you spell, think about what the word means."

What is the common error, and the fix?

Spellers mix the spellings of long a: "rane", "sayl", "trane". The fix is the position rule for ay at the end, plus practice for the rest. Learn the common ai words as a group, and when unsure in a one-syllable word, try a_e.

Sort it: a hands-on activity

Sort long a cards by spelling: a_e, ai and ay. Then pair rhymes across piles (sail and sale, main and mane, wait and gate) and read each pair aloud.

How this list was built

Every word comes from our lexicon of about 19,000 common words, each checked against a pronouncing dictionary and split into spelling units. Words a student meets in our assessments and progress-monitoring probes are left out, so practicing a list never rehearses a test. A family is every one-syllable base word (no suffix, not a compound) whose rime, the vowel unit and every unit after it, has the same spelling and the same sounds, so bead and bread are in different families. Ladders use only words from the list, and each step changes exactly one sound.

"Readable after" is the first lesson in the lesson sequence at which our decodability engine finds every sound-spelling in the word taught; "not taught" means the word has a spelling the sequence does not cover, so it is read with help. You can check your own lists and passages with the free decodable text checker.

Questions people ask

How many long a word families are there?

In our lexicon, 27 rimes with the long a sound have at least three public one-syllable words, 230 words in all. Smaller families exist, but two words are not enough to practice a pattern.

Which long a spelling is most common?

In one-syllable words, a with silent e and ai are both common inside a word, and ay dominates at the end. Our tables show each family's size so you can see it for yourself.

Why teach word families at all?

Families let a student read many words from one chunk, which builds speed and confidence. They work best alongside sound-by-sound blending, so a student can still read a word when no family fits.