Listening discrimination for /æ/

Train your ear for /æ/

Production starts with perception. If you can't hear the difference, you can't produce it reliably.

Listen closely

Listen to each of the following words. Notice the quality and length of /æ/ — compare it mentally to the neighboring vowels you might confuse it with.

Your goal in this lesson is recognition, not production. Just listen and identify.

• apple — ant — cat
• bag — hat — man

Then say them back

After listening carefully, try repeating each word. Record yourself and compare to the reference audio.