Spelling list: oa words

The long /o/ sound in English is often represented with the letters oa, for example in boat, coat, and road. Click on the speaker icon next to each word hear how the long /o/ sound is pronounced.

While you will usually spot the oa spelling pattern in the middle of the word, it occasionally appears at the beginning too, like in the words oak, oar, and oasis. At the end of a word, the long /o/ sound is usually spelt with the letters ow.

The spelling activities that come with this word list will help you get to grips with words where the long /o/ sound appears in the middle of the world and is spelt with the letter combination oa.

coach	They went by coach to the beach.
soak	She had a long soak in the bath tub.
cloak	He wore a dark cloak.
croak	Frogs croak mostly at night.
coal	The land was mined for coal.
goal	Shoot for goal whenever you can.
foal	Anna is grooming her foal.
foam	This foam mattress is too soft for me.
loan	I need a loan to buy my car.
soap	This liquid soap smells of roses.
boast	It's bad manners to boast about being clever.
coast	The river flows fast to the coast.
roast	It's roast chicken for dinner.
toast	Her favourite food is beans on toast.
float	It's easy to float in very salty water.
throat	I keep sneezing and my throat is sore.
cockroach	There was a cockroach in the kitchen.
approach	The cat approached its prey very softly.
encroach	Please don't encroach on my space.
reproach	The boss will reproach him for being lazy.