/æ/
This page teaches controlled sound targets from our reviewed catalogue. It does not claim one universal whole-word IPA transcription: the sounds in a word can vary by speaker and target variety.
Low and front. Drop the jaw, tongue stays forward — sounds 'flat'.
Common slip: Often confused with /ɛ/. Drop the jaw further for /æ/.
See the mouth diagram and controlled set →Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge (just behind upper teeth). British /t/ is crisp; American often flaps to /ɾ/ between vowels.
Common slip: No universal substitution is claimed; compare the recording with the target-accent reference.
See the mouth diagram and controlled set →Back of tongue against soft palate, release.
Common slip: No universal substitution is claimed; compare the recording with the target-accent reference.
See the mouth diagram and controlled set →These synthesized voices are repeatable reference points, not a claim that every British or American speaker uses one identical form.
“cat”
“cat”
Open practice with “cat” already filled in. Automated feedback is an estimate for practice, not a clinical or expert diagnosis.
Real recordings from our search library that contain “cat”.
Public domain
“Then Della jumped up like a little burned cat and cried, "Oh, oh!" Jim had not yet seen his beautiful gift.”
General American
From "'The Gift of the Magi,' by O. Henry" (2014). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “'The Gift of the Magi,' by O. Henry”
Open this clip in General American: Then Della jumped up like a little burned cat and cried, "Oh, oh!" Jim had not yCreator video
“relaxing into the consonant Let's try 'cat' 'Cat'”
RP
From Oxford Online English (opens in a new tab) — “5 Key Differences Between British Pronunciation and American Pronunciation” · 468s
Open this clip in RP: relaxing into the consonant Let's try 'cat' 'Cat'Public domain
“She stood by the window and looked out unhappily at a gray cat walking along a gray fence in a gray back yard.”
General American
From "'The Gift of the Magi,' by O. Henry" (2014). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “'The Gift of the Magi,' by O. Henry”
Open this clip in General American: She stood by the window and looked out unhappily at a gray cat walking along a gCreator video
“pronounce it at all 'cat' 'Cat' Yeah see Gina Does that work both ways”
RP
From Oxford Online English (opens in a new tab) — “5 Key Differences Between British Pronunciation and American Pronunciation” · 453s
Open this clip in RP: pronounce it at all 'cat' 'Cat' Yeah see Gina Does that work both waysCreator video
“This is the American vowel sound /æ/, as in the word "cat."”
General American
From Sounds American (opens in a new tab) — “Interactive Vowel Sounds Chart” · 596s
Open this clip in General American: This is the American vowel sound /æ/, as in the word "cat."Creator video
“as the the person the cat”
RP
From ETJ English (opens in a new tab) — “The "TH" Sounds - Everything You Need to Know!” · 694s
Open this clip in RP: as the the person the catSearch our indexed caption corpus for real-context examples. Coverage varies by word and accent, so the results page may have no matching clip.
Search clips for “Cat”