Wide Short A vs. Short E

Mastering the difference between the wide short /æ/ and short /ɛ/ sounds will make your English sound much clearer and more natural. These two vowels are often confused, but a small adjustment in your mouth can make a big impact on how you're understood.

How to make it

/ɛ/
open-mid front
Lips: neutral
Tongue: mid-front
Voicing: voiced
💡 Jaw slightly more open than /e/.

1. For /ɛ/, relax your jaw slightly and center your tongue in your mouth.
2. The middle of your tongue should arch slightly, keeping the back of your tongue away from your throat.
3. For /æ/, open your jaw a bit wider and flatten your tongue to the bottom of your mouth.
4. Push the front of your tongue forward and move the back of your tongue slightly towards your throat.

Watch out for

• Tongue too high for /æ/ — Make sure your tongue is flat and low for /æ/. It's a 'low' vowel, so your jaw should be more open.
• Throat tension for /ɛ/ — For /ɛ/, your throat should feel relaxed and unrestricted. If you feel tension, try to loosen your tongue.
• Not differentiating enough — These sounds are close! Exaggerate the mouth positions at first to really feel the difference in tongue height and jaw opening.

Words to try

• apple
• elephant
• camp
• fresh
• hand
• text
• plan
• dress

💡 Practice makes perfect! Pay attention to how your tongue and jaw feel for each sound, and soon it will become second nature.