3rd grade articles (a, an, the) worksheets
Articles are the little words a, an, and the. By 3rd grade, students handle the tricky cases where sound and spelling disagree: an hour (silent h), a unicorn (a y-sound). The rule is about the sound your mouth makes next.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.1.1.h.
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The kind of sentences you'll get
Circle the letter of the article that fits the sentence.
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We planted oak sapling in the yard.
an · a
Answer: an
- My little sister is such good helper. a · the · an
- Such sweet smell drifted from the bakery. a · the · an
Every print pulls a fresh set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Choose the word. Circle the letter of the article that fits the sentence. 10 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Introduce the disagreement cases deliberately: hour, honest, unicorn, one-way, university. Say each aloud and ask what sound it starts with, not what letter. Students who learned "an before vowels" as a letter rule will miss these, and the fix is one good conversation about sounds plus a worksheet or two of practice.
Watch for: It's the sound that decides, not the letter. We say an hour because hour starts with a vowel sound (like our), and a unicorn because unicorn starts with a y-sound. The works for anything specific, but a and an only go with one of something you could count.
Common questions about articles (a, an, the)
- Is it "a hour" or "an hour"?
- An hour. The h in hour is silent, so the word starts with a vowel sound, and the sound is what decides. The same logic flips for unicorn: it starts with the letter u but the sound "yoo," so it takes a. Third grade is the right time for these.
- What about the word "the"?
- The points to something specific: the red bike means one particular bike, while a bike means any bike. Our items practice a versus an, because that's where the mistakes happen. The is the easy one; kids reach for it correctly long before they can explain why, so it doesn't need the practice a and an do.
Related worksheets
- 1st grade articles (a, an, the) A step easier, same skill
- 2nd grade articles (a, an, the) A step easier, same skill
- 3rd grade adverbs of how, when, and where Same grade, nearby skill
- 3rd grade collective nouns Same grade, nearby skill
- 3rd grade common and proper nouns Same grade, nearby skill
- Articles (a, an, the), all grades The full progression
- All 3rd grade English worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 3rd grade worksheets Everything at this level
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Aligned to Common Core L.1.1.h. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 137, updated August 2026.
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