Short vowels
How to pronounce /ə/ The lazy sound in about
aboutproblembanana
How to make it
Tongue relaxed in the middle. Short, quiet, never stressed.
- Tongue
- Dead centre, no effort
- Lips
- Neutral
- Voice
- Weak and unstressed
Watch the mouth
Keep it short, quiet and unstressed. Never stretch it.
Where learners slip
Unstressed syllables get over-pronounced instead of relaxed.
Say it on real English. See if it lands.
Lang Shadow scores /ə/ every time you say it — in Shorts, in role plays and in your own words — and colours it next to the other 40 sounds.