LoginHow to Pronounce the /æ/ Sound
Discover the /æ/ sound in English: its articulation, features, and how it contrasts with other vowels for precise pronunciation.
In this lesson, we are going to learn how the sound /æ/ is produced by looking at the articulatory organs.
What Type of Sound Is /æ/?
/æ/ is between /ɑ/ and /ɛ/ sounds.
How to Produce /æ/?
Mouth Configuration for /æ/
To pronounce it, as you see in the picture, open your mouth a bit as if you are smiling and keep your lips unrounded. Produce the short /æ/ sound with your mouth open. Note that our mouths are not as wide as when want to pronounce the /ɑ/ sound and the lips are more stretched than when we are producing the sound /e/.
Which Letters are Pronounced as /æ/?
The sound /æ/ is represented by the following letters:
Pie Chart of the Letters that Make the /æ/ Sound
- a:
c
pl
cr
/æ/ Around the World
As you see in the table below, most of the common languages around the world do not have this sound; therefore you will a little practice to produce this sound.
| Existence | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin | x | - |
| Spanish | x | - |
| Hindi | x | - |
| Bengali | ✔ | ত্যাগ |
| Portuguese | x | - |
| Russian | ✔ | пять |
| Japanese | x | - |
| Vietnamese | x | - |
| Turkish | ✔ | erkek |
| French | x | - |
| German | x | - |
| Italian | x | - |
| Persian | ✔ | نَه |
| Standard Arabic | ✔ | فَعَلَ |
| Korean | x | - |
| Indonesian | x | - |
| Filipino | x | - |
| Hungarian | x | - |
| Dutch | x | - |
| Polish | x | - |
| Romanian | x | - |
| Swedish | ✔ | värk |
| Czech | x | - |
| Greek | x | - |
| Ukrainian | x | - |
| Urdu | x | - |
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