Maria Azbel · English
#pronunciation
Pronunciation · Lesson II

E & AA

/ɛ/
Short E
set · pet · head
/æ/
Flat A
cat · hat · sad
Tab 0 · Warm-up
Before we begin

A story that explains why this lesson matters.

Paola married a Canadian and moved to live with him from Spain. After the wedding, her husband's father suggested she call him "Dad." She was horrified. Why would she? In English, the words Dad and dead differ by only one sound. You have to admit, it's not very pleasant when someone calls you "dead."

Today we fix the difference between /ɛ/ as in dead and /æ/ as in dad. One sound — completely different meaning.

Tab I · Theory
The two sounds

They differ in jaw opening, tongue position, and length. Getting them right matters — one wrong vowel and Dad becomes dead.

The Sound /ɛ/
/ɛ/
Slightly lower your jaw and push the air out — similar to the Russian "э". Short and closed. Note: said and says use /ɛ/ — not /eɪ/. So it's /sɛd/ and /sɛz/.
said → /sɛd/ · says → /sɛz/
pet end head
The Sound /æ/
/æ/
/æ/ is an open, front sound. The tongue moves forward and touches the lower front teeth. This is very important — when the tongue moves forward and touches the lower front teeth, the sound resonates at the front. This sound isn't long, but it's longer than /ɛ/, as it takes some time to pronounce it. Open your mouth wide, as if you're about to bite into a juicy apple.
cat hat sad
British vs American English

One important thing to know about /æ/: in the British accent, it doesn't change, but in American English, before the sounds /n/, /m/, and /ng/, we will hear it differently — more like /ay/ or /ea/.

man gang amber

Check out this scene from Ted Lasso to hear the difference between how Brits and Americans pronounce "plan" 🇬🇧🇺🇸

In the pronunciation of words like answer, last, fast, and others with the /ɑː/ sound in British English and /æ/ in American English, there are key differences between the two accents.

WordBritish EnglishAmerican English
Answer/ˈɑːnsə//ˈænsər/
Last/lɑːst//læst/
Fast/fɑːst//fæst/
Dance/dɑːns//dæns/
After/ˈɑːftə//ˈæftər/
Glass/ɡlɑːs//ɡlæs/
Spelling patterns
/ɛ/ patterns
eset, end, pet, bed
eahead, dead, bread, meant
ai (rare)said, again
ie (rare)friend, buried
/æ/ patterns
a + consonantcat, hat, sad, map
a + consonant clusterblack, flat, glad
al (some words)shall, callous
Tab II · Practice · /ɛ/
Listen & repeat — /ɛ/

Gold letters mark the /ɛ/ sound. Listen, then say each phrase or sentence aloud.

Phrases
1
Wet net
2
Set bet
3
Ten men
4
Left edge
5
Best friend
6
Fresh scent
7
Next step
8
Spent energy
9
Clever text
10
Get said
Sentences
1
Ten men set up the tent.
2
The red pen fell on the desk.
3
She left the best gift on the shelf.
4
The wet net was well-set.
5
Next, we spent time reading the clever text.
Tab III · Practice · /æ/
Listen & repeat — /æ/

Green letters mark the /æ/ sound. Open wide — like biting into an apple.

Phrases
1
Black cat
2
Fast rat
3
Flat mat
4
Mad hat
5
Glad man
6
Fat bat
7
Last chance
8
Sand bag
9
Backpack strap
10
Cracked glass
Sentences
1
The black cat sat on the flat mat.
2
A fat bat flew past the tall man.
3
She found a sandbag near the cracked glass.
4
The mad hat was on the last chance rack.
5
He packed a backpack for the fast hike.
Tab IV · Practice · Both Sounds
Let's compare /ɛ/ and /æ/

Gold = /ɛ/ · Green = /æ/. Listen, then say each pair aloud.

Minimal pairs
Word combinations — both sounds
1
Red hat
2
Set tab
3
Wet sand
4
Ten bags
5
Bad friend
6
Left sand
7
Fresh bag
8
Get a cat
9
Less nap
Tab V · Homework · Sort Words
Which column does it belong to?

Listen, then drag and drop the words to the correct columns.

/ɛ/ — set
/æ/ — cat
Tab VI · Homework · Which Word?
What do you hear?

Listen to each audio clip and tap the word you hear. The answer will be revealed after you choose.

Tab VII · Homework · Read Aloud
Read the sentences out loud

Listen several times, then read each sentence paying close attention to the gold (/ɛ/) and rose (/æ/) sounds.

1
Set the hat on the bed before you rest.
2
The cat sat on the mat and let out a meow.
3
The test was easy, but the task was bad and hard to manage.
4
He met a man who had a bad habit of chatting.
5
Red hats are best for that weather.
Tab VIII · Review
Do you remember /iː/ and /ɪ/?

Before moving on — a quick reminder, then a check.

Long /iː/
/iː/
Like Russian «и» — but twice as long. Tense, lips spread, tongue high and forward.
meet deep free
Short /ɪ/
/ɪ/
Short and relaxed — closer to Russian «ы». Jaw slightly lower, no tension.
sit big give
Read the pairs aloud

Gold = /iː/ · Green = /ɪ/

Seat
Sit
Feel
Fill
Sheep
Ship
Peel
Pill
Leap
Lip
Bean
Bin
All done
Two lessons.
Four sounds.

Dead. Dad. One sound. Four lessons. You hear it now — that's all it takes.