If you pronounce it, what does it sound like? That line over the 'a' usually means it's a long 'a' — just as we pronounce that letter when we say the alphabet. So 'stāt' is pronounced … ?
The word you are referring to, with the straight line on top of the "a," is "stāt." This is a diacritic mark called a macron, which indicates a long vowel sound. In terms of spelling, the correct word you are looking for is "state."
