How to Make the AA [æ] Vowel - American English Pronunciation

Learn how to make the AA [æ] vowel and improve your American accent in this short 7-minute lesson.

This lesson covers how to make the AA vowel with your mouth, what it sounds like, and common words that use the AA [æ] vowel. I'll also guide you through interactive exercises to help you start pronouncing the AA [æ] vowel today!

0:00 - The Many Pronunciations of A
0:36 - The International Phonetic Alphabet
1:39 - AA [æ] Vowel Listening Challenge
2:49 - How to Make the AA [æ] vowel
3:24 - Common Words That Use the AA [æ] vowel
5:09 - AA [æ] Vowel Pronunciation Challenge
6:45 - Summary of How to Make the AA [æ] vowel
7:09 - Where to Get More Help With Your English

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[jasons]

My own theory is that, in many cases in American accent, /æ/ is actually a diphthong comprising 'e' followed by 'a'. Try saying "bad", "can", "hat" and "cat" very slowly. You can hear it yourself. And because of that, even spoken at a normal speed, we can hear the difference between the British and American accents in /æ/.

[ExploreBC]

Good Job 👍
Thanks for sharing.
Support from Canada 🇨🇦💐

[nicolee]

Great video! Also, very helpful and the thorough explanation of how the sound should be pronounced. I have got to say that it's not the first time I realize how tricky English can be. I had no idea that just a simple vowel can be pronounced in 7 different ways. It just blows my mind! 🤯However, now that I know the correct pronunciation I am gonna pay closer attention to words with these sound and identify them.

I also really enjoyed the format about the game in which you have to listen to the pronunciation and choose the correct word! It made it dynamic and engaging.

Btw, I recently replied to your email. I'm sorry for the delay🙃

[eduardofabris]

Thank you so much! Sometimes i make confusion with the British accent. The only question I still have it's the difference between the sound in laugh /læf/ and left /left/, because the /æ/ and the /e/ sound seems like the same to me.

[mariajoya]

I like the video thanks you for your help me have nice day

[ksenial]

That's a great video, thank you! Could you make a similar video on the ʌ sound as in 'love', or 'under', or 'other? It's so difficult to make it and tell the difference between the ʌ and the ɑː sounds.

[mariachavez]

Thanks a lot for your class. I thought the pronounciation of "ae" was "eeh-aah" only when the "ae" sound is followed by n and m as in annual and grammar but I hear your "ae" pronunciation is "eeh-aah" for all the words that include it. Greetings