I Swear English › Pronunciation › The /ae/ Sound - Cat, Hat, Bat
How to form the the /ae/ sound
301 The Sound æ Cat, Hat, Bat:
When to use it
- The short /æ/ is a bright, open vowel. Drop your jaw, spread your lips a little and keep it short and sharp.
- It appears in very common words, so getting it right makes a big difference to how clear you sound.
Example words: cat, hat, bat, man, bad, apple, back, sad, happy, plant (in British English)
Watch the video lesson
Video transcript
Hi there. æ. æ. At. Am. Attack. Attack, Apple, Add. Ant. Alabama. OK. æ l ʌ b æ m ə Sam. Man. Man. OK all of these words have the æ sound. OK notice it's æ not ʌ. It's cat not cut. It's hat not hut. It's bat not but. OK, so it's æ not ʌ. Notice it's æ not ɑː. It's am not arm. It's at not art. It's cat not cart. So æ. At. Am. Attack. Attack, Apple, Add. Ant. Alabama. Sam. And Man. So æ. See you in another video.
Common mistakes to avoid
| Not quite… | Better |
|---|---|
| Saying cat like cut | Keep it bright and forward: /kæt/, not /kʌt/. The mouth is wider for /æ/. |
| Saying bad like bed | Open the jaw more for /æ/; /e/ (as in bed) is higher and tighter. |
Frequently asked questions
How is /æ/ different from the ‘u’ in ‘cup’?
/æ/ (cat) is at the front of the mouth with a wide smile; /ʌ/ (cup) is more central and relaxed. Compare cat / cut, bad / bud, ran / run.
Is it a long or short sound?
Short. Don't stretch it — cat is quick and clipped.
Continue the course
This lesson is part of our free English Pronunciation and Phonetics course — work through it in order or jump to what you need next.