Pronunciation LabEnglish pronunciation
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Guided practice · General American English

English Sound Laboratory

DRESS /ɛ/ versus TRAP /æ/ vowel control

Contrast DRESS /ɛ/ with TRAP /æ/ while keeping surrounding consonants stable.

PracticeGuided practiceRecord and listen at every stage
Practise with trustworthy examples. Reviewed audio is used where it is available. On other items, you can still record, listen back and retry. Pronunciation feedback appears only where this lab has a reviewed feedback check.

See · compare · open the jaw for TRAP

Keep DRESS higher; let TRAP open lower

Both vowels are front and unrounded. DRESS /ɛ/ is mid and relatively compact; TRAP /æ/ is lower and requires a more open jaw. Keep the consonants stable and make the contrast with vowel height and jaw opening.

Mid-front unrounded vowelDRESS /ɛ/
Schematic target articulation. It is not a measurement of the learner's mouth.
Place
—
Manner
—
Tongue tip
—
Airflow
—
Voice
voiced
Open-front unrounded vowelTRAP /æ/
Schematic target articulation. It is not a measurement of the learner's mouth.
Place
—
Manner
—
Tongue tip
—
Airflow
—
Voice
voiced
What you are hearing: these short clips come from the reviewed sentence at the end of this lab. Use them as context examples for the sound.