e
The /e/ sound: e as in bed
- Vowel
- Short
- High priority for IELTS
Hear it
in bed
- Lips
- Relaxed
- Tongue
- Mid-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 /e/
- 1
Open your mouth a little wider than for /ɪ/.
- 2
Keep the front of your tongue mid-high.
- 3
Say a short, crisp 'eh': bed, head, said.
- Sounds like
- the 'e' in 'ten', short and clear
/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.
1 / 8
Which word do you hear?
How /e/ is spelled
eeaaiiea
The usual mistake
Merging it with /æ/ so 'pen' sounds like 'pan', or with /ɪ/ so 'desk' sounds like 'disk'.
Hardest for speakers of
Words to practise
Say it and get scored
Read bed, egg, head, said, friend, many aloud. Free, no account.
Questions
How do you pronounce the /e/ sound?
Open your mouth a little wider than for /ɪ/. Keep the front of your tongue mid-high. Say a short, crisp 'eh': bed, head, said.
What is the most common mistake with /e/?
Merging it with /æ/ so 'pen' sounds like 'pan', or with /ɪ/ so 'desk' sounds like 'disk'.
Which spellings make the /e/ sound?
Common spellings include “e”, “ea”, “ai”, “ie”, “a”, as in bed /bed/, egg /eɡ/, head /hed/.
Does /e/ 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”).