Pronunciation of /a/

/æ/
/ə/
/ei/
/a:/
/ɒ/
/ɔ:/

/æ/
a) A + geminate or/and doubled consonant spellings: pp, bb, etc., ck, tch, dge
Except for: final -ass/aː/: ass/aːs/, grass/graːs/, class/klaːs/; final -all/ɔːl/; w/qu + a +
doubled consonants where “a” is pronounced /ɒ/
b) “a” is the only vowel, or the last vowel + at least one consonant: cat, pat, pant
c) Penultimate (second last) “a” + at least two consonants, or “xe” (other than the
instance of “a.e”/ei; aː/; other cases: /aː/): collapse/kəˈlæps/; axe/æks/
d) “A” + at least one consonant + ic(al) (in which case, “a” is stressed):
mathematical/ˌmæθəˈmætikl/, classic(al)/ˈklæsik(l)/, plastic, drastic
e) At least penultimate “a” + at least two consonants; at least antepenultimate “a” + at
least two consonants + “e”: altitude, attitude, altruism

/ei/
a) “a” + one consonant + omitted “e” (i.e. “ate”): creation, navigating
b) “a” + one consonant + le/re: stable, acre/ˈeikə(r)/
c) “a” + one consonant + ea, eou, ia, io, iu, iou, ience, ient (+ one final consonant) and +
asion/ation: azalea/əˈzeiliə/, advantageous/ˌædvənˈteidʒəs/, alias, facial, contagion,
occasion, radio, ratio, stadium, radium, voracious/vəˈreiʃəs/, patient, patience
d) Ending “-ator”

/aː/
a) Word final: only in some words: papa/pəˈpaː/
b) Middle: “a” + one consonant + a, i, o; avocado/ævəˈkaːdəʊ/
c) “a” is the only vowel + two consonants: staff, craft
d) In “-graph”

/ɒ/
a) “w”, “qu” + “a”

/ɔː/
b) initial “al” (reduced from “all”): always
c) in “ald”, “alt”: bald, alter, altar
d) final “-all”: fall, tall, ball

/ə/
Word initial, unstressed: about
Middle (at least one vowel before): -able, -al, -ance, -ancy, -ant, -ative, -iary: variable, facial,
variance, vacancy, variant, causative, auxiliary/ɔːgˈziliəri/, intermediary/intəˈmiːdiəri/
In -ate: intermediate/intəˈmiːdiət/