What is the /e(ɛ)/ Sound?
First, let's look at a few examples of words with the English e(ɛ) sound:
- egg
- extra
- elbow
- tell
- bet
- deck
According to Baruch College's Tools for Clear Speech, the /ɛ/ sound is made by doing the following:
"This vowel is a mid-front vowel. Position your tongue at mid-height in your mouth, and shift it toward the front. The muscles of your lips and mouth should be relaxed. Vibrate your vocal cords with your mouth in this position."
If you need more help articulating the e(ɛ) sound, check out this video to learn the correct tongue and mouth placement.
Practicing the /e(ɛ)/ Sound
Everything you need to pronounce the English e(ɛ) sound correctly is on this page. Just follow the instructions.
What do you have to do?
Practice for 5 minutes a day for 7 days.
That’s it.
Your goal is to pronounce the e(ɛ) sound clearly and easily by the end of day 7.
Let’s do it!
This guide to the American English e(ɛ) sound is full of useful information. Click the link below to jump to the part you are looking for:
- Day 1 of the e(ɛ) sound
- Day 2 of the e(ɛ) sound
- Day 3 of the e(ɛ) sound
- Day 4 of the e(ɛ) sound
- Day 5 of the e(ɛ) sound
- Day 6 of the e(ɛ) sound
- Day 7 of the e(ɛ) sound
- Additional e(ɛ) sound resources
- PDF download of the e(ɛ) sound
Day 1: The /ɛ/ Sound
If you are ready, let’s start with the practice for day one.
It’s pretty simple.
Watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the e(ɛ) sound and similar sounds like /ʌ/ or /ɪ/.
- bet - but
- net - nut
- bed - bid
- left - lift
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- met - mate - meet - might
- check - chick - chuck
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- error
- endless
- hotbed
- regardless
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- How do you check for errors?
- There must have been an endless list.
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
- Meg net Ted, Ted met Meg.
Day 2: The /ɛ/ Sound
Just like day one, except simpler.
Watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the e(ɛ) sound and similar sounds like /æ/ or /eɪ/.
- gem - jam
- met - mat
- wet - wait
- pen - pain
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- west - waist - worst
- bed - bid - bad - bud
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- education
- emptiness
- painless
- essayist
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- Tell her that I met him on the trek.
- Could you lend me ten bucks?
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Set a mat on the sand and get a tan.
- Mend ten black pairs of pants for seven men in a trance.
Day 3: The /ɛ/ Sound
Today will be the last day you only listen and repeat.
Tomorrow, you will have to start to speak.
But let’s focus on today.
Just like yesterday, watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the e(ɛ) sound and similar sounds like /ʌ/ or /ɪ/.
- pen - pun
- hem - hum
- desk - disk
- hell - hill
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- ten - ton - tan - torn - tin
- trek - track - trick - truck
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- example
- extracurricular
- element
- setting
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- There are a lot of types of education.
- You have to empty your plate or you will go straight to bed.
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the e(ɛ) sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Cashed his check, rented a tent he could mend, and camped on a patch of grass all weekend.
- Set wet pets on the wet red deck.
Day 4: The /ɛ/ Sound
Time to speak.
You will notice that these are the words, phrases, and sentences you repeated on day one.
Today, your job is different.
Open up a Google Doc, enable voice typing and speak.
Watch the video to see how it works.
- bet - but
- net - nut
- bed - bid
- left - lift
- met - mate - meet - might
- check - chick - chuck
- error
- endless
- hotbed
- regardless
- How do you check for errors?
- There must have been an endless list.
- Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
- Meg net Ted, Ted met Meg.
Day 5: The /ɛ/ Sound
Let’s revisit the words, phrases, and sentences you practiced on day two.
Just like yesterday, open up a Google Doc, enable voice typing, and get ready to speak.
Let’s do it!
- gem - jam
- met - mat
- wet - wait
- pen - pain
- west - waist - worst
- bed - bid - bad - bored - bard - bud
- education
- emptiness
- painless
- essayist
- Tell her that I met him on the trek.
- Could you lend me ten bucks?
- Set a mat on the sand and get a tan.
- Mend ten black pairs of pants for seven men in a trance.
TIP*** Are there some words that the computer does not understand no matter how many times you say them? No worries, just skip it and move on. No one is perfect.
Day 6: The /ɛ/ Sound
You are so close to day 7.
Be proud that you have made it this far :)
In today’s lesson, let’s circle back to the words, phrases, and sentences you repeated on day three and practice saying them aloud.
- pen - pun
- hem - hum
- desk - disk
- hell - hill
- ten - ton - tan - torn - tin
- trek - track - trick - truck
- example
- extracurricular
- element
- setting
- There are a lot of types of education.
- You have to empty your plate or you will go straight to bed.
- Cashed his check, rented a tent he could mend, and camped on a patch of grass all weekend.
- Set wet pets on the wet red deck.
Day 7: The /ɛ/ Sound
Congratulations!!!
You have made it to the very last day of this e(ɛ) sound practice course.
Do you feel like your pronunciation of this sound is improving?
Let’s finish with a simple, but challenging exercise.
Just like you did on days 4, 5, and 6, open up a Google Doc and enable voice typing.
This time, try to get the technology to recognize these six tongue twisters.
- Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
- Meg net Ted, Ted met Meg.
- Set a mat on the sand and get a tan.
- Mend ten black pairs of pants for seven men in a trance.
- Cashed his check, rented a tent he could mend, and camped on a patch of grass all weekend.
- Set wet pets on the wet red deck.
Now, turn voice typing off and try to say each tongue twister as fast as possible.
Watch the video to learn how to go through this exercise.
Additional Resources: The /ɛ/ Sound
Words with the e(ɛ) sound
| Beginning | Middle | End |
| egg | ten | |
| every | red | |
| extra | pet | |
| elbow | bed | |
| education | lesson | |
| edge | beg | |
| excited | tell | |
| escape | bet | |
| element | deck | |
| emptiness | jet | |
| elk | friend | |
| end | setting | |
| epic | guess | |
| errand | bless | |
| echo | vet | |
| effect | less | |
| etcetera | rest | |
| example | guest | |
| empty | dead | |
| edit | breath | |
| envy | send | |
| exit | head | |
| elf | heaven | |
| endless | said | |
| elder | again | |
| elite | bread | |
| essay | yes | |
| enter | check | |
| errant | rent | |
| error | tent |
Minimal Pair Collection
/e/ and /ʌ/ (bet/but)
bet - but
net - nut
pen - pun
hem - hum
leg - lug
ten - ton
net - nut
rest - rust
desk - dusk
pedal - puddle
Minimal Pair /e/ and /ɪ/ desk disk
bed - bid
left - lift
desk - disk
hell - hill
mess - miss
bless - bliss
medal - middle
check - chick
sense - since
ketch - kitsch
Minimal Pair /æ/ and /e/ bad bed
jam - gem
mat - met
bag - beg
bland - blend
track - trek
bat - bet
dad - dead
gas - guess
land - lend
sad - said
Minimal Pair /e/ and /eɪ/ wet wait
wet - wait
pen - pain
sell - sale
met - mate
fed - fade
fell - fail
west - waist
led - laid
test - taste
chess - chase
Vowel Collection
met - mate - meet - might
check - chick - chuck
west - waist - worst
bed - bid - bad - bored - bard - bud
ten - ton - tan - torn - tin
trek - track - trick - truck
Syllable Stress Collection
- error
- endless
- hotbed
- regardless
- education
- emptiness
- painless
- essayist
- example
- extracurricular
- element
- setting
Reduced Sounds Collection
- How do you check for errors?
- There must have been an endless list.
- Tell her that I met him on the trek.
- Could you lend me ten bucks?
- There are a lot of types of education.
- You have to empty your plate or you will go straight to bed.
Tongue Twister Collection
- Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
- Meg net Ted, Ted met Meg.
- Set a mat on the sand and get a tan.
- Mend ten black pairs of pants for seven men in a trance.
- Cashed his check, rented a tent he could mend, and camped on a patch of grass all weekend.
- Set wet pets on the wet red deck.
Additional Resources
- Tools for Clear Speech sound /ɛ/ profile
- Rachel’s English Video on the /ɛ/ sound
- American English Pronunciation vowel sound /ɛ/
- TEFLpedia /ɛ/ sound
Additional Activities for All Sounds
Practice Three Words
Answer the following question:
What do you like to do in your free time?
Pick one, two, or three words from the word bank and include them in your response. If it helps, you may write out the example sentences with the word in context first.
Youglish Research
Visit the Youglish website. Pick a word or phrase you would like to practice. Enter it into the Youglish search bar. Find three examples of the word or phrase in context to shadow.
Teacher Time
During your next English speaking practice session with a teacher or conversation partner, have a list of three to five words you would like to use. Give yourself a point every time you use the word correctly in context and it is understood. Aim to score 5 points within the first 10 minutes (so the rest of the time you focus just on communicating).
Voice Typing
Write out three sentences with challenging words or phrases. Use Google Docs or any other software with the ability to turn speech to text. Read these sentences aloud and check to see if your pronunciation is correct.
***There are a ton of possibilities. These are just a few ideas. Use the word bank, tongue twisters, example sentences, and other resources on this page to continue to work on this sound.
If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments below. I read and respond to all of them.
Download the PDF version of this 7-day mini-course.
Plus the PDF-version of every single English sound for free.
