"a" followed by one consonant or an unpronounced "h", as well as the double vowel "aa" is generally long. It is pronounced similar to the "a" in English "spa", but with a wide-open mouth.

"a" followed by two or more consonants is usually short. It is pronounced similar to the "u" in English "Hun".

"ä" followed by one consonant or an unpronounced "h" is generally long. It is pronounced similar to the "ai" in English "airy", but with a more open mouth.

"ä" followed by two or more consonants is usually short. It is pronounced similar to the "e" in English "get", but with a more open mouth.

Click on ► to hear the examples.

Now it's up to you.

Click on ► and listen carefully to the words which are read out to you. In each case, write the word you hear twice in the gap provided.

Then click on [Check] to see if you were correct.

And don't worry if you don't know the meaning of the words. The aim of this exercise is to practice the long and the short "a" and "ä". Of course, you can look up the words you don't know in one of the online dictionaries below if you wish to do so.