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The /eɪ/ sound: ai in the middle, ay at the end

You learn the position rule for the long /eɪ/ sound: ai in the middle, ay at the end of a root word.

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How to write it

The sound /eɪ/ is usually spelled ai when it is inside a word (rain, train) and ay when it is at the very end of a word (play, day).

A worked example

Dark clouds brought heavy ___ all morning. (ai or ay?)

  1. The /eɪ/ sound is in the middle of the word, followed by n.
  2. Spell with ai: r-a-i-n.
  3. You spell rain.
More examples

Children love to ___ in the sunny park. (ai or ay?)

  1. The /eɪ/ sound is at the very end of the word.
  2. Spell with ay: p-l-a-y.
  3. You spell play.

Lock your bicycle with a metal ___. (ai or ay?)

  1. The sound is in the middle, between ch and n.
  2. Spell with ai: c-h-a-i-n.
  3. You spell chain.

Try it yourself

  1. ai in the middle

    A slow ___ carried its shell on its back.

  2. ai in the middle

    The happy dog wagged its fluffy ___.

Watch out

  • Writing ai at the end of a word (plai) or ay in the middle (trayn).

    Ask: where is the sound? Middle = ai. End of word = ay.

Tips

  • ai is enclosed by consonants; ay sits at the end of the root word.

Why it works

English words rarely end in the letter i. Therefore, the /eɪ/ sound is spelled with ai inside words (rain, train, wait) and with ay at the very end of words (day, play, say).