What sound do aw, au, and al share?

The deep aw in saw, pause, and walk. It is one sound with three main spellings, and sorting builds the family feeling before spelling rules enter.

Why does al belong here?

In words like walk, chalk, and salt, the a takes on the same aw sound, with the l sometimes silent (walk) and sometimes spoken (salt). Kids sort by the vowel sound they hear.

1st grade variant vowel /ô/ (aw, au, al)

1st grade variant vowel /ô/ (aw, au, al) worksheets

Aw, au, and al spell the deep sound in saw, haul, and walk. First graders sort the three spellings and start hearing them as one sound family.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RF.1.3.c.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of words you'll complete and sort

Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its column.

lnchtumnwklntltkclsceful

Columns: aw and au / augh and al. Only aw turns "l_n" into a real word, so lawn goes under aw; Only au turns "s_ce" into a real word, so sauce goes under au / augh; Only al turns "w_k" into a real word, so walk goes under al.

Every print pulls a new set of words at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 1st grade sheet

1st grade sheets draw from 36 words, 15 to a page. 1st to 3rd grade print from the same 36 words. What changes is the standard (RF.1.3.c here) and the teaching notes below. 2nd grade sheets print 21 to a page.

Some of the words:

sawyawnhawkdawnlaunchfaultapplaudchalksmallalso

Complete and sort. Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its column. 15 words per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Anchor the sound first: everyone says awwww like they saw a puppy. Then sort. With three spellings in play, keeping one clear anchor sound stops the sort from becoming letter-guessing.

Watch for: Position leans the choice: aw likes word endings and stands before n and l (dawn, crawl); au sits inside words (sauce, autumn); with al, the l is spoken in salt and ball but silent in walk and talk, and the vowel sounds the same either way. The augh in caught and taught is the au family wearing extra letters. Sort those with au and read the gh as silent.

Common questions about 1st grade variant vowel /ô/ (aw, au, al)

What sound do aw, au, and al share?: The deep aw in saw, pause, and walk. It is one sound with three main spellings, and sorting builds the family feeling before spelling rules enter.
Why does al belong here?: In words like walk, chalk, and salt, the a takes on the same aw sound, with the l sometimes silent (walk) and sometimes spoken (salt). Kids sort by the vowel sound they hear.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of words? Download another copy.

Aligned to Common Core RF.1.3.c. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets