Unit 6: Vowels /e/ & /æ/

Unit 6 Guide

This unit trains two front vowels that learners frequently merge: /e/ as in bed and /æ/ as in bad.

Mouth shape:

• /e/: mouth moderately open, lips slightly spread in a gentle smile. Tongue sits at mid height, pushed forward. Sound is short and crisp.
• /æ/: jaw drops noticeably lower; the mouth is open wider both vertically and horizontally. Tongue is low and forward. The result lies between the vowels in cat and bet.

Why it matters: man and men, bad and bed, sat and set are different words. Mixing them can change meaning entirely.

Common pitfall: many learners use a single mid-front vowel for both, making bad sound like bed. The fix is mechanical — for /æ/, drop the jaw further and feel the chin move down.

Practice pairs: bad/bed, man/men, pan/pen, sat/set, had/head.