This is the “Sounds American” channel.

In this video we’re going to talk about the American vowel sound /ə/,

as in the word “ago”.

You can also hear this sound in words like

“above,”

“person,”

“parent,”

or “action”.

Please, note that we’ll be using a special phonetic symbol - /ə/ - for this sound.

The /ə/ sound is one of the two most frequently used vowel sounds in American English.

In fact, one in every five words has the /ə/ sound.

If you want to pronounce it like an American, keep watching.

OK.

To pronounce the /ə/ sound, you should focus on relaxing your tongue and lips.

Slightly open your mouth, relax your lips, and leave them in a neutral position.

Place your tongue in the middle of your mouth and relax it.

Remember, the /ə/ sound is very relaxed, so your tongue and lips should be relaxed when you pronounce it.

Let’s try saying it:

/ə/

/ə/

/ə/

Now, let’s practice this sound in some words.

You’ll see a word on a screen and hear its pronunciation.

Like this:

You’ll have a few seconds to pronounce the word, if you want to.

[sound prompt to start speaking]

Let’s begin!

You’re done!

Congratulations!

By the way, did you know that the /ə/ sound is written as the letter “a” in one-third of all cases?

More on the spelling:

Most often, the /ə/ sound is written as the letter “a,” as in the word “above,”

then by the letter “o,” as in the word “today,”

and the letter “e,” as in the word “even.”

Less often it’s represented by a combination of the letters “io,” as in the word “nation”;

the letter “i,” as in the word “pencil”,

and the letter “u,” as in the word “product.”

Thanks for watching!

Hope you find it useful.

Stay tuned on our Sounds American channel!