Back
/ə/ — the /ə/ sound
/ə/
the /ə/ sound
Vowels · Single vowels
about
This sound hasn't been scored yet.
How to make it
The laziest sound in English: mouth completely relaxed, tongue central, short and weak.
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 Sounds - UH [ə] Vowel - How to make the SCHWA Vowel Watch on YouTube
More videos
Words with this sound
Tap the speaker to hear a native speaker say it.
his
/əz/
the
/ðə/
us
/əs/
ago
/əˈɡoʊ/
away
/əˈweɪ/
where
/ˈwɛə/
about
/əˈbaʊt/
above
/əˈbʊv/
added
/ˈæɾəd/
again
/əˈɡen/
agree
/əˈɡɹi/
area
/ˈeɹiə/
Test yourself on this sound
Read these 8 words in one recording. The AI scores every sound and tells you whether your /ə/ came out right.