Decoding exercises: "al"

The letter combination "al" has several different pronunciations. This article sets out some words teachers can use to help their students become more aware of the differences.

"all"

 * /ɔːl/: all - ball - call - fall - hall - install - small - tall - wall
 * /əl/: allergic - allow - parallel
 * Ending in "ally": actually - finally - normally


 * basically - practically - specifically - technically - typically
 * /æl/: allergy - alligator - ballet - challenge - Halloween - metallic - shall - shallow - valley
 * /ɒl/: swallow - wallet

"alk"

 * Always : chalk - stalk - talk - walk

At the beginning of the word

 * /ɔːl/: almost - already - also - alternative - although - always
 * /əl/: alarm - Alaska - alert - alive - alone - along
 * /æl/: Alabama - album - alcohol - Algeria - alphabet
 * almond

At the end of the word

 * Magic e, /eɪl/: female, male, sale, scale
 * /əl/: animal, capital, final, general, hospital, national, local, personal, political, several, total

Followed by consonants

 * , : calf, half
 * calm, palm
 * /ɔːl/: bald, salt
 * /əl/: Donald, emerald, Ronald

In the middle of the word

 * /æl/: analysis - balance - calculate - personality - salary - talent - valuable - value
 * salmon
 * /eɪl/: Australia
 * /ɒl/: qualify
 * /ɑːl/: Guatemala
 * /ɔːl/: false - Walter
 * /əl/: analyse - analyze - equally - equivalent - Italy - journalist - penalty

Variant pronunciations

 * /æl, l/: marshmallow