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Pronunciation · vowel

The /æ/ sound — a as in cat

In short

/æ/ is a short near-open front vowel — the vowel you hear in cat, apple, hand. Like every diphthong, the glide between two positions IS the sound. Below: exactly how to position your mouth, audio you can copy, the mistakes learners actually make, and drills to fix them.

How to pronounce /æ/

  1. 1Open your mouth wide — wider than feels natural at first.
  2. 2Push the front of your tongue low and forward.
  3. 3Say a bright, open 'a': cat, hand, plan.

Sounds like: the sound a doctor asks for — 'aaa' — but shorter and brighter

/æ/ in words — with audio

Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.

  • cat/kæt/ · sound is medial
  • apple/ˈæpəl/ · sound is initial
  • hand/hænd/ · sound is medial
  • plan/plæn/ · sound is medial
  • matter/ˈmætə/ · sound is medial
  • exam/ɪɡˈzæm/ · sound is final

The mistake almost everyone makes

Closing the mouth too much so 'bad' sounds like 'bed', or backing it so 'cat' sounds like 'cut'. The /æ/–/ʌ/ and /æ/–/e/ contrasts carry many word pairs.

Who struggles with this sound:

  • Spanish speakers — /æ/, /ʌ/ and /ɑː/ collapse into one Spanish 'a' — cat/cut/cart blur together
  • Turkish speakers — /æ/ merges with /e/ — 'bad' and 'bed' sound the same

Spellings of /æ/

These letter patterns commonly spell /æ/: a. English spelling is unreliable — trust the IPA, not the letters.

Don't confuse it with…

Minimal pairs isolate the exact contrast — the fastest way to train both your ear and your mouth.

Keep exploring

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce the /æ/ sound?
Open your mouth wide — wider than feels natural at first. Push the front of your tongue low and forward. Say a bright, open 'a': cat, hand, plan.
What is the most common mistake with /æ/?
Closing the mouth too much so 'bad' sounds like 'bed', or backing it so 'cat' sounds like 'cut'. The /æ/–/ʌ/ and /æ/–/e/ contrasts carry many word pairs.
Which spellings make the /æ/ sound?
Common spellings include “a” — as in cat /kæt/, apple /ˈæpəl/, hand /hænd/.
Does /æ/ matter for IELTS?
Yes — this is a high-priority sound. Errors here frequently change one word into another, which examiners hear as reduced clarity (the exact Band 6 wording is “mispronunciation … reduces clarity at times”).

Next step

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