What is the /eɪ/ Sound?
First, let's look at a few examples of words with the English /eɪ/ sound:
- apricot
- agent
- snail
- paint
- stay
- pay
According to Sounds American, the /eɪ/ sound is made by doing the following:
"To pronounce the /eɪ/ sound correctly, open your mouth partially, stretch your lips, and push your tongue forward. Make your lips and tongue tense.
Step-by-step pronunciation instructions:
Mouth: Open your mouth partially, then close it a little.
Lips: Stretch and tense your lips, then relax them.
Tongue: Tense your tongue, keep it just above midline, and push it forward. Then raise your tongue a little higher and relax it.
Note: The tip of your tongue can also be placed just behind your bottom front teeth."
If you need more help articulating the /eɪ/ sound, check out this video to learn the correct tongue and mouth placement.
Practicing the /eɪ/ Sound
Everything you need to pronounce the English /eɪ/ 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 /eɪ/ sound clearly and easily by the end of day 7.
Let’s do it!
This guide to the American English /eɪ/ sound is full of useful information. Click the link below to jump to the part you are looking for:
- Day 1 of the /eɪ/ sound
- Day 2 of the /eɪ/ sound
- Day 3 of the /eɪ/ sound
- Day 4 of the /eɪ/ sound
- Day 5 of the /eɪ/ sound
- Day 6 of the /eɪ/ sound
- Day 7 of the /eɪ/ sound
- Additional /eɪ/ sound resources
- PDF download of the /eɪ/ sound
Day 1: The /eɪ/ 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 /eɪ/ sound and similar sounds like /e/ or /aɪ/.
- wait - wet
- pain - pen
- fail - file
- pale - pile
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- wait - wet - wort
- hey - hair - how
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- dismay
- castaway
- subway
- insane
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- What do I say about her? She’s ancient history.
- How did you miss the famous movie ‘Castaway’?
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- The rain ran through gran’s grain.
- I hate the hats that Nate and Nat wear at eight.
Day 2: The /eɪ/ 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 /eɪ/ sound and similar sounds like /eɘ/ or /e/.
- hey - hair
- ray - rare
- sale - sell
- mate - met
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- claim - clam - climb
- play - ploy - plough
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- famous
- agency
- aviation
- ancient
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- I need to go to the nearest subway station.
- The prices are insane! We should have saved more.
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Eight mates ate their straight weight in bait at the fete.
- I'll take the train to the game today.
Day 3: The /eɪ/ 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 /eɪ/ sound and similar sounds like /eɘ/ or /aɪ/.
- lay - lair
- day - dare
- cay - Kai
- tale - tile
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- stay - steer - stare - stew
- tale - teal - toll - toil
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- apricot
- database
- anyway
- replay
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- Let me get you an extra apricot.
- I have to speak to the agency about my pay.
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /eɪ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Wait, Kate is on a date with a mate.
- I’m unable to state what Tate ate.
Day 4: The /eɪ/ 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.
- wait - wet
- pain - pen
- fail - file
- pale - pile
- wait - wet - wort - what
- hey - hair - how - he - here
- dismay
- castaway
- subway
- insane
- What do I say about her? She’s ancient history.
- How did you miss the famous movie ‘Castaway’?
- The rain ran through gran’s grain.
- I hate the hats that Nate and Nat wear at eight.
Day 5: The /eɪ/ 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!
- hey - hair
- ray - rare
- sale - sell
- mate - met
- claim - clam - climb
- play - ploy - plea - plough
- famous
- agency
- aviation
- ancient
- I need to go to the nearest subway station.
- The prices are insane! We should have saved more.
- Eight mates ate their straight weight in bait at the fete.
- I'll take the train to the game today.
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 /eɪ/ 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.
- lay - lair
- day - dare
- cay - Kai
- tale - tile
- stay - steer - stare - stew
- tale - teal - toll - toil
- apricot
- database
- anyway
- replay
- Let me get you an extra apricot.
- I have to speak to the agency about my pay.
- Wait, Kate is on a date with a mate.
- I’m unable to state what Tate ate.
Day 7: The /eɪ/ Sound
Congratulations!!!
You have made it to the very last day of this /eɪ/ 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.
- The rain ran through gran’s grain.
- I hate the hats that Nate and Nat wear at eight.
- Eight mates ate their straight weight in bait at the fete.
- I'll take the train to the game today.
- Wait, Kate is on a date with a mate.
- I’m unable to state what Tate ate.
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 /eɪ/ Sound
Words with the /eɪ/ sound
| Beginning | Middle | End |
| apricot | snail | away |
| apron | paint | stay |
| alien | claim | gray |
| April | data | way |
| eight | make | day |
| acorn | fade | obey |
| agent | shade | lay |
| age | name | dismay |
| ape | insane | pay |
| ache | famous | say |
| aim | snail | ray |
| ale | paint | pay |
| ace | claim | may |
| aid | strain | they |
| angel | day | bay |
| aide | play | gray |
| able | reins | subway |
| agency | vein | anyway |
| aviation | weigh | replay |
| ancient | sleigh | midday |
Minimal Pair Collection
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
/eɪ/ and /aɪ/ (hey/hi)
fail - file
pale - pile
claim - climb
cay - Kai
tale - tile
fate - fight
wait - white
whale - while
hate - height
/eɘ/ and /eɪ/ (hair/hey)
hair - hey
rare - ray
lair - lay
dare - day
pair - pay
wear - way
stare - stay
bear - bay
Claire - clay
prayer - pray
Vowel Collection
wait - wet - wort - what
hey - hair - how - he - here
claim - clam - climb
play - ploy - plea - plough
stay - steer - stare - stew
tale - teal - toll - toil
Syllable Stress Collection
- dismay
- castaway
- subway
- insane
- famous
- agency
- aviation
- ancient
- apricot
- database
- anyway
- replay
Reduced Sounds Collection
- What do I say about her? She’s ancient history.
- How did you miss the famous movie ‘Castaway’?
- I need to go to the nearest subway station.
- The prices are insane! We should have saved more.
- Let me get you an extra apricot.
- I have to speak to the agency about my pay.
Tongue Twister Collection
- The rain ran through gran’s grain.
- I hate the hats that Nate and Nat wear at eight.
- Eight mates ate their straight weight in bait at the fete.
- I'll take the train to the game today.
- Wait, Kate is on a date with a mate.
- I’m unable to state what Tate ate.
Additional Resources
- Sounds American sound /eɪ/ profile
- Rachel’s English Video on the /eɪ/ sound
- American English Pronunciation vowel sound / eɪ /
- TEFLpedia /eɪ/ 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.
