Does the word black have a short a or long a?

Answer 1

In the word "black," the letter 'a' is pronounced with a short vowel sound, as in the /æ/ sound in the word "cat." This short vowel sound is commonly found in words where the letter 'a' is followed by a consonant, as in the word "back" or "lack."

Answer 2

"Black' has a short 'a' sound, so it is pronounced 'blak'. Here is a little rule to remember: When there is only ONE vowel in a word, and it is in the MIDDLE of the word (that is, it is surrounded by consonant sounds), the vowel will FREQUENTLY be short.

For example, here are some words that have short vowel sounds - 'cat, ham, pot, log, cub, fun, pet, men, lip, sit, fish, frog, flag, drip, chop, shop, pond, black, block, brick, trap, track, truck, stuck, trust, shrug, stand, stamp, strap, branch, flip, crumbs, thumb, thrill, club, brick, think, grad, spend, spell'.