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AI and AY

Two Ways to Spell the Long A Sound

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VOWEL DIGRAPHS

Both AI and AY make the long A sound (like the letter name "A"). The trick is knowing which spelling to use. AI comes at the start or middle of a word. AY comes at the end of a word: because English words rarely end in the letter I.

AI and AY Words

SPELLING WORDS

-AI- (start or middle)

aim rain sail paid snail paint wait braid

-AY (end of word)

pay ray play tray spray stay clay

Spelling Word List

15 words using the AI and AY long A vowel digraphs.

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The AI / AY Rule

HOW IT WORKS
AI at the Start or Middle: AY at the End
AI
start or middle of a word
aim, rain, sail, wait
AY
at the end of a word
pay, play, spray, stay

Both AI and AY make exactly the same long A sound. The position in the word tells you which one to use. AI works at the start or in the middle of a word. AY works at the end: because English words very rarely end in the letter I (the letter Y does the job of final I instead).

Exceptions

WATCH OUT
Words that don't follow the rule
they, grey

These use EY to make the long A sound at the end. Not all words use AY at the end: some use the EY digraph instead. Both are correct for those words; you must learn them.

eight, weight

Some words use EIGH to make the long A sound. This is a less common pattern but appears in several common words: eight, weight, freight, neighbour.

birthday

A compound word: birth + day. The AY is at the end of the word day, which confirms the rule: AY comes at the end. Many compound words ending in –day, –way, –play follow this pattern.

Lyrics

AI and AY: Long A Spelling Rule Song

Are you ready to learn about the A sound? Here we go.

CHORUS

AI at the start and the middle, use AY at the end.
They both make the sound of A, my friend.
AI at the start and the middle, but have you wondered why?
In the English language, words rarely end in I.

VERSE 1: AI WORDS

Here are some words that we'll learn today.
They all contain an AI that makes the sound A.
aim: A I M
rain: R AI N
sail: S AI L
paid: P AI D
snail: S N AI L
paint: P AI N T

CHORUS

AI at the start and the middle, use AY at the end.
They both make the sound of A, my friend.
AI at the start and the middle, but have you wondered why?
In the English language, words rarely end in I.

VERSE 2: AY WORDS

Here are some words that we'll learn today.
They all contain an AY that makes the sound A.
pay: P AY
ray: R AY
play: P L AY
tray: T R AY
spray: S P R AY
birthday: B I R T H D AY

CHORUS

AI at the start and the middle, use AY at the end.
They both make the sound of A, my friend.
AI at the start and the middle, but have you wondered why?
In the English language, words rarely end in I.

Mr. Spelling.com