Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookFree practice · for my video
The 7 short vowel sounds.
You watched my video about the short vowels. Now let’s practise! First, a short summary. Then three small practices. It takes about 10 minutes.
The video: “The 7 Short Vowel Sounds”. Watch it on YouTube ↗
What you learned
British English has 7 short vowel sounds. They are short and quick. Here they are, with the words I used in the video.
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1
/æ/
cat, fact, sat, fat
Open your mouth. Keep it short.
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2
/e/
get, let, met, set
Very short. Get is a very common word, so say it well!
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3
/ɒ/
hot, on, top, box
Your jaw drops a little.
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4
/ʊ/
good, would, could, should
Push your lips forward a little.
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5
/ɪ/
it, did, hit, bit, fit
Really short. It is not the long /iː/.
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6
/ʌ/
but, butter, cup
It sounds a bit like the schwa, but it is stronger.
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7
/ə/
about, away, another, banana, a man, an apple
The schwa. Relax your mouth. It is the most common sound in English.
English spelling does not always show the sound. The IPA symbols between / / show the real sound. They help you a lot.
Say a man and an apple with a small, relaxed /ə/. Not a big “ay” or “an”.
Practice 1 of 3
Listen and choose the sound
Press ▶ and listen to me. You can’t see the word yet. Which short vowel do you hear? Choose one.
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1 fat
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2 let
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3 box
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4 should
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5 hit
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6 cup
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7 away
Practice 2 of 3
Which word has a different sound?
Two words have the same short vowel. One word is different. Press ▶ to hear a word. Then tap the different word.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
Practice 3 of 3
Say it and compare
These are the sentences from the video. Press ▶ and listen to me. Then press Record and say it. Then listen to me and to you. Do you sound the same?
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1 /æ/
The fat man had a hat.
Did you sound like me? -
2 /e/
Let me get the set.
Did you sound like me? -
3 /ɒ/
It’s hot in the box.
Did you sound like me? -
4 /ʊ/
I would if I could, but I don’t know if I should.
Did you sound like me? -
5 /ɪ/
I fit my Fitbit onto my wrist.
a Fitbit = a watch that counts your steps
Did you sound like me? -
6 /ʌ/
But the butter is kaput.
kaput = broken, not good any more
Did you sound like me? -
7 /ə/
I want another banana or an apple.
Did you sound like me?
Your score
0 of 13
Answer the questions above. Your score is here.
Keep going with me
Every week I send one new word, in my voice. It is free and short.
Words to practise next
Hear me say these tricky words, normally and slowly.