Late Middle English had two phonemes and , differing only in length. The ("short A") was found in words such as "cat" and "trap" , and also before in words such as "start" . The ("long A") was found in words such as "face" , and before in words such as "scare" . This long A was generally a result of Middle English open syllable lengthening. For a summary of the various developments in Old and Middle English that led to these vowels, see English historical vowel correspondences.