The aw and au Sounds
Learn the aw and au sounds in phonics. Both make the 'aw' sound in words like paw, saw, sauce and August. A fun reading lesson for kids with word games.
Key takeaways
- aw and au make the same 'aw' sound
- aw is often at the end of a word (paw, saw)
- au is often in the middle of a word (sauce, August)
One sound, two spellings
aw and au make the same sound. It is the aw you say when you see something cute: awww! Two spellings, one sound. Let's read them!
The aw sound
You often find aw at the end of a word, or before n or l.
- paw 🐾
- saw 🪚
- draw 🎨
- yawn 😴
- lawn 🌱
Say paw slowly: p - aw. Easy!
The au sound
You often find au in the middle of a word.
- sauce 🍅
- author ✍️
- autumn 🍂
- astronaut 🧑🚀
Say sauce slowly: s - au - ce. Same 'aw' sound!
A helpful tip
Listen for the 'aw' sound, then look at where it is:
- 'aw' sound at the end of a word? → usually spell it aw (paw, draw).
- 'aw' sound in the middle? → often spell it au (sauce, author).
A little word list
Read these aw and au words out loud:
- paw 🐾
- saw 🪚
- draw 🎨
- sauce 🍅
- author ✍️
- autumn 🍂
Play the games below to build your own aw words!
When you can read aw and au, slide over to the gliding diphthongs oi, oy, ou and ow and the sunny long vowel sounds.
Quick quiz
Test yourself and earn XP
What sound do aw and au make?
aw and au both make the 'aw' sound, as in paw and sauce.
Which word uses au?
Sauce uses au in the middle of the word.
Where do we usually find aw?
aw is often at the end of a word, like paw, saw and draw.
Play & learn
aw and au cards +5 XP
Completed ✓ +5 XP
Build the aw words +10 XP
Completed ✓ +10 XP
FAQ
Yes. aw and au both make the same 'aw' sound, like in paw and sauce. They are just spelled differently.
aw usually comes at the end of a word or before n or l (paw, lawn). au usually sits in the middle of a word (sauce, author).
Keep exploring
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