short a

Meanings

1. The vowel sound in the English words cat and rack, usually represented by /æ/ or /a/. (The presence of a short vowel is sometimes signaled in spelling by the doubling of a consonant after it, such as in batting as contrasted with bating.)
2. The vowel sound in the English words grass and castle when pronounced with a near-open front unrounded vowel (/æ/); associated with northern England accents.