æ
The /æ/ sound: a as in cat
- Vowel
- Short
- High priority for IELTS
Hear it
in cat
- Lips
- Relaxed
- Tongue
- Low and to the front
- Voice
- On
- Length
- Short
The sound on its own: recording by No machine-readable author provided. Denelson83 assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. Credits
How to make /æ/
- 1
Open your mouth wide, wider than feels natural at first.
- 2
Push the front of your tongue low and forward.
- 3
Say a bright, open 'a': cat, hand, plan.
- Sounds like
- the sound a doctor asks for, 'aaa', but shorter and brighter
/e/ vs /æ/: bed vs bad
Every pairDrop your jaw noticeably further for /æ/. If your 'bad' feels the same as your 'bed' in the mirror, the jaw is not opening enough.
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Which word do you hear?
How /æ/ is spelled
a
The usual mistake
Closing the mouth too much so 'bad' sounds like 'bed', or backing it so 'cat' sounds like 'cut'. The /æ/ vs /ʌ/ and /æ/ vs /e/ contrasts carry many word pairs.
Words to practise
Say it and get scored
Read cat, apple, hand, plan, matter, exam aloud. Free, no account.
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/ vs /ʌ/ and /æ/ vs /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”).