Short vowels
How to pronounce /æ/ A as in cat
cathappyback
How to make it
Mouth wide open, tongue forward and low. Bright and short.
- Tongue
- Low and forward
- Lips
- Wide open
- Voice
- Bright and flat
Watch the mouth
Open your mouth wide, tongue low and pushed forward.
Where learners slip
- Japanese speakersMerges with /ɑ/ — cat and cot sound the same.
- Turkish speakersDrifts toward /ɛ/ — cat can land as ket.
Say it on real English. See if it lands.
Lang Shadow scores /æ/ every time you say it — in Shorts, in role plays and in your own words — and colours it next to the other 40 sounds.