Regional variation

How /ɛ/ varies across English

Different English accents pronounce this vowel differently. Knowing the variation helps you understand speakers from other regions, even if you only practice producing one accent yourself.

Where it varies around the world

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Quick reference

• australian: /e/ — Closer and higher [e], closer to GenAm /eɪ/ without the glide.
• new_york: /ɛə/ — May diphthongize before nasals: 'ten' → [tɛən].
• southern: /ɪ/ — Pen-pin merger: 'pen' and 'pin' both [pɪn].

Interactive comparison

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Try the same word in different accents

The word bed /bɛd/ sounds different depending on where the speaker is from. Use the analyzer below to hear it in your target accent, then switch the accent setting in the analyzer to explore alternatives.

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“bed”
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/ɛ/open-mid frontArticulator diagram · regional variants · drill ↗