/æ/ — the /æ/ sound
the /æ/ sound
Vowels · Single vowels
This sound hasn't been scored yet.
How to make it
Drop the jaw low, tongue forward, mouth wide.
Watch a native speaker say it
See the mouth and tongue before you record — hearing a sound rarely tells you where the tongue goes.
Rachel's English · American English - AA [æ] Vowel - How to make the AA Vowel Watch on YouTube
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Words with this sound
Tap the speaker to hear a native speaker say it.
act
/æk/
add
/æd/
am
/æm/
an
/æn/
app
/ˈap/
as
/æz/
at
/æt/
nah
/næː/
and
/ænd/
ant
/ænt/
apple
/ˈæpl/
ask
/æsk/
Minimal pairs
Two words that differ by exactly one sound. Listen until you can tell them apart, then say them yourself.
- æ
and
/ænd/
eend
/end/
- æ
am
/æm/
ʌum
/ʌm/
- æ
an
/æn/
ɑːon
/ɑːn/
- æ
at
/æt/
iːeat
/it/
- æ
an
/æn/
ɪin
/ɪn/
- æ
bad
/bæd/
ɔːbored
/bˈɔːd/
- æ
back
/bæk/
ʊbook
/bʊk/
- æ
bat
/bæt/
uːboot
/buːt/
Test yourself on this sound
Read these 8 words in one recording. The AI scores every sound and tells you whether your /æ/ came out right.