British English Accent Reduction Coach Explains - The key to getting the æ sound just right

So first of all, if you would like to see a video about how this sound should be pronounced, then please follow any of the following link:

https://www.tiktok.com/@samsenglishworkshop/video/7460350649763433734

As the video was describing, one of the biggest mistakes students often make with this sound, is not differentiating when a word calls for the short form or the long form of the æ sound.

For example: say the following words: cat, sat, mat, bat, catch.

Could you hear that in each of these words the æ is pronounced as a very short crisp sound?

However, say the following words: man, hand, bad, Pam.

Could you hear that the æ is pronounced as a slightly longer sound in these words?

Now the slight difference in length of the æ sound in different words is the key to getting this right. But the good news is that there is a simple rule that helps you know how the æ sound should be pronounced in words.

When the æ sound in a word is followed by an un-voiced consonant then the pronunciation is usually always short. Maybe you don’t know what I mean by un-voiced consonant? Don’t worry. When you see these combinations of letters in words you know that you need to use a short æ sound:

ap (cap), at (cat, chat etc), atch (catch, hatch), ac  h (attach), af/aff, (maff, chaff) ash (bash/ ash).

Also I would like to mention that as we are talking about the British RP accent, we don’t pronounce words like bath and grass with the æ sound. Instead we use the ɑː sound.

So, let’s simplify, with the combinations at/ atch/ ach/ af/ ash we use the short æ sound.

When voiced consonants follow the æ sound we generally use a slightly longer pronunciation of æ.

Let’s give you are few examples:

Mad, hansom, has, man, mandatory etc.

Of course, like I always say, the best way is to listen and practise with native speakers and then to copy them. What makes English pronunciation difficult is that often certain words will break the rules, however this guide is a great starting point.

If you would like to practise this further, then please take a look at my British English Accent Reduction course. This course is designed to improve your accent so that you sound more like a native British English speaker.