This is the “Sounds American” channel.

In this video, we’re going to talk about the American vowel sound /ɛ/,

as in the word “bed”.

You can also hear this sound in words like

“get,”

“head,”

“many,”

or “friend.”

We’ll be using a special phonetic symbol - /ɛ/ - for this sound.

Let’s check if you can recognize the /ɛ/ sound.

Listen to these words: “bed and bad.”

If they sound the same to you or if you’re not sure about it, this video might help you.

Keep watching, and let’s find out how to make this vowel sound.

OK.

To pronounce the /ɛ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your tongue and jaw.

Partially open your mouth, slightly spread your lips, and relax them.

Push your tongue to the front of your mouth and relax it.

Raise the middle of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.

The tip of your tongue can be lowered just behind your bottom front teeth.

Remember, the /ɛ/ is a relaxed sound, so your tongue and lips should be relaxed.

Your jaw should be partially lowered.

Now, let’s try saying it:

/ɛ/

/ɛ/

/ɛ/

Now, let’s practice this sound in some words.

You’ll see a word on a screen and hear its pronunciation.

Like this:

[bed]

You’ll have a few seconds to pronounce the word, if you want to.

[sound prompt to start speaking]

Let’s begin!

You’re done!

Congratulations!

Did you know that the /ɛ/ sound is written as the letter ‘e’ 92% of the time?

A bit more on the topic of spelling:

usually this sound is written with the letter “e,” as in “bed.”

In the rest of the cases, it can be spelled with the combination of letters “ea,”

as in the word “head”;

and with the letter “a,” as in the word “many”;

or by a combination of the letters “ie”

as in the word “friend.”

Thanks for watching!

Hope you find this video useful.

Stay tuned on our Sounds American channel!