long a

noun

The vowel sound in the words game and cake; /eɪ/. (The presence of a long vowel is often signaled in spelling by a silent e that follows it, as in the examples here, or by the fact that a subsequent consonant is single rather than doubled, as for example in gaming versus gamming).

Similar
broad a
Opposite
short aflat a
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Meanings

nounlong a (plural long a's)

plural long a's

  1. phonicsThe vowel sound in the words game and cake; /eɪ/. (The presence of a long vowel is often signaled in spelling by a silent e that follows it, as in the examples here, or by the fact that a subsequent consonant is single rather than doubled, as for example in gaming versus gamming).

    Antonyms: short a

  2. UKespeciallyhuman sciencesThe vowel sound in the English words bath and castle when pronounced with an open back unrounded vowel (/ɑː/); associated with southern England accents.

    Synonyms: broad a · Antonyms: flat a, short a

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe vowel sound in the words game and cake; /eɪ/. (The presence of a long vowel is often signaled in spelling by a silent e that follows it, as in the examples here, or by the fact that a subsequent consonant is single rather than doubled, as for example in gaming versus gamming).

Opposite
short a

nounThe vowel sound in the English words bath and castle when pronounced with an open back unrounded vowel (/ɑː/); associated with southern England accents.

Similar
broad a
Opposite
flat ashort a
Cite this entry
APA

long a. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20a

MLA

“long a.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20a. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “long a,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20a.

Source: long a on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.