American English Sounds
  • Home
  • Vowels
    • VOWEL CHART
    • Front >
      • /iy/ (see, keep)
      • /ɪ/ (sit, pick)
      • /ey/ (take, name)
      • /ɛ/ (pet, tell)
      • /æ/ (sat, past)
    • Central >
      • /ɜr/ (church, nurse)
      • /ər/ (mother, surprise)
      • /ʌ/ (cup, must)
      • /ə/ (about, undo)
      • /ɑ/ (stop, job)
    • Back >
      • /ʊ/ (good, put)
      • /uw/ (food, soon)
      • /ɔ/ (bought, lost)
      • /ow/ (low, coat)
    • Diphthongs >
      • /ɑɪ/ (light, pie)
      • /ɑʊ/ (cow, loud)
      • /ɔɪ/ (boy, voice)
  • Consonants
    • CONSONANT CHART
    • Lips (Bilabial) >
      • /p/ (peace, price)
      • /b/ (buy, brain)
      • /m/ (map, time)
      • /w/ (wait, win)
    • Lips-Teeth (Labio-dental) >
      • /f/ (fix, friend)
      • /v/ (vase, love)
    • Tongue-Teeth (Dental) >
      • /θ/ (thank, bath)
      • /ð/ (this, breathe)
    • Tongue-Gum Ridge (Alveolar) >
      • /t/ (take, stand)
      • /d/ (day, drive)
      • /s/ (sit, race)
      • /z/ (zoo, these)
      • /l/ (less, sleep)
      • /n/ (nice, man)
    • Tongue-Palate (Palatal) >
      • /ʃ/ (push, show)
      • /ʒ/ (measure, vision)
      • /tʃ/ (choose, match)
      • /dʒ/ (juice, edge)
      • /r/ (rose, borrow)
      • /y/ (yes, young)
    • Tongue-Soft Palate (Velar) >
      • /k/ (kiss, cat)
      • /g/ (gas, green)
      • /ŋ/ (hang, long)
    • Throat (Glottal) >
      • /h/ (help, hand)
  • Resources
    • Pronunciation Vocabulary
    • For Students
    • For Instructors

/ey/

LISTEN

listen_to_-ey-.mp3
File Size: 266 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/ey/…/ey/…/ey/…/ey/...
​
​take...name...later...away

WHAT IS IT?

Pronunciation:
​The sound /ey/ is a mid, front, tense vowel.​
  • Put your tongue in the middle of your mouth.
  • Spread your lips, like a small smile. Your tongue should move forward.
  • Tighten your tongue.
  • Breathe out and let your vocal cords vibrate.
​
stressed_-ey-.mp3
File Size: 122 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

This vowel is usually stressed, as in these words:
  • famous
  • lately
  • create
unstressed_-ey-.mp3
File Size: 112 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

However, /ey/ can also be unstressed. In an unstressed syllable, /ey/ is pronounced quickly and softly. This is most common in the last syllable of a word.
  • Sunday
  • dictate
  • graduate

Spelling:
  • "a...(e)" - came, late
  • "ai" - train, wait
  • "a" - age, April
  • "ay" - day, maybe
  • "ey" - they, obey
  • "ea" - great, break
  • "ei" - rein, veil
  • "eigh"/"aigh" - neighbor, weigh, straight
  • "et" (French origin) - crochet, ballet
​
grammar_-ey2-.mp3
File Size: 165 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

​Grammar Tip:
​
The sound /ey/ is part of the common suffix “-ate,” when “-ate” is part of a verb. If the verb is more than 2 syllables, the /ey/ in the suffix is unstressed.
  • ​​create
  • indicate
  • complicate
  • communicate

COMPARE

Compare /ey/ with /iy/:
compare_ey-iy_1.mp3
File Size: 114 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/ey/…/iy/…/ey/…/iy/…/ey/…/iy/...

These are both front, tense vowels. However, /ey/ is a mid vowel and /iy/ is a high vowel.

You can hear the difference between /ey/ and /iy/ in these words.
compare_ey-iy_words2.mp3
File Size: 194 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. A. play, B. plea
2. A. lake, B. leak
3. A. raid, B. read
4. A. same, B. seem
5. A. fail, B. feel
6. A. raisin, B. reason


Practice recognizing words with /ey/ and /iy/ by taking the quiz below. 

​Now, compare /ey/ with /ɛ/:
compare_ey-e_1.mp3
File Size: 346 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/ey/…/ɛ/… /ey/…/ɛ/… /ey/…/ɛ/…

These are both mid, front vowels. However, /ey/ is a tense vowel, and /ɛ/ is a lax vowel. Your tongue should tighten when you pronounce /ey/, but not when you pronounce /ɛ/.​
​
You can hear the difference between /ey/ and /ɛ/ in these words.
compare_ey-e_words2.mp3
File Size: 159 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. A. mate, B. met
2. A. braid, B. bread
3. A. lace, B. less
4. A. later, B. letter
5. A. sailor, B. seller
6. A. pain, B. pen
​
Practice recognizing words with /ey/ and /ɛ/ by taking the quiz below. 

PRACTICE

Listen and repeat these words:
words_with_-ey-.mp3
File Size: 632 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. shade
2. hate
3. take
4. haze
5. gave
6. lame
7. rain
8. sail
9. haste
10. ma​yor
11. tailor
12. relay
13. crazy
14. potato
15. impatient
16. graduate
17. communicate
18. gracious
19. payday

20. radiate 

​Now, practice /ey/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
sentences_with_-ey-.mp3
File Size: 1024 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. making - cake - birthday 
I'm making a cake for your birthday.

2. afraid - wake - snake
I'm afraid to wake up a sleeping snake.

3. raining - today - hail
It's raining today, with a chance of hail.

4. mayor - gave - waste
The mayor gave a speech about waste management. 

5. makes - great - relationship
What makes a great relationship?

6. rainy - days - play - games
​On rainy days, my family likes to play games.

To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:
  • Male 1 (US Midwest - St Louis) - words, sentences
  • Male 2 (US Midwest - Iowa) - words, sentences
  • Male 3 (US Midwest) - words, sentences
  • Female 1 (US Northeast) - words, sentences
  • Female 2 (US Southeast) - words, sentences

USE IT!

​​Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.

​Prepare:
What do you want to be famous for? Look at the list and choose one thing that you want to be famous for, and one thing you don’t want to be famous for.
​​
  • ​Creating a great work of art​
  • Saving someone from danger
  • Dating a celebrity
  • Breaking a sports record
  • Making a great movie
  • ​Motivating someone to pursue their dream
  • Persuading a world leader to change their policy​
  • Being an excellent communicator​
  • Performing in a Broadway musical
  • ​Creating a great work of art​
  • Saving someone from danger
  • Dating a celebrity
  • Breaking a sports record
  • Making a great movie
  • ​Motivating someone to pursue their dream
  • Persuading a world leader to change their policy​
  • Being an excellent communicator​
  • Performing in a Broadway musical

Record:
​In your recording, describe what you want to be famous for and what you don’t want to be famous for. Explain the reasons for your answer.

©2018-2021, Christine Wingate
​

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Vowels
    • VOWEL CHART
    • Front >
      • /iy/ (see, keep)
      • /ɪ/ (sit, pick)
      • /ey/ (take, name)
      • /ɛ/ (pet, tell)
      • /æ/ (sat, past)
    • Central >
      • /ɜr/ (church, nurse)
      • /ər/ (mother, surprise)
      • /ʌ/ (cup, must)
      • /ə/ (about, undo)
      • /ɑ/ (stop, job)
    • Back >
      • /ʊ/ (good, put)
      • /uw/ (food, soon)
      • /ɔ/ (bought, lost)
      • /ow/ (low, coat)
    • Diphthongs >
      • /ɑɪ/ (light, pie)
      • /ɑʊ/ (cow, loud)
      • /ɔɪ/ (boy, voice)
  • Consonants
    • CONSONANT CHART
    • Lips (Bilabial) >
      • /p/ (peace, price)
      • /b/ (buy, brain)
      • /m/ (map, time)
      • /w/ (wait, win)
    • Lips-Teeth (Labio-dental) >
      • /f/ (fix, friend)
      • /v/ (vase, love)
    • Tongue-Teeth (Dental) >
      • /θ/ (thank, bath)
      • /ð/ (this, breathe)
    • Tongue-Gum Ridge (Alveolar) >
      • /t/ (take, stand)
      • /d/ (day, drive)
      • /s/ (sit, race)
      • /z/ (zoo, these)
      • /l/ (less, sleep)
      • /n/ (nice, man)
    • Tongue-Palate (Palatal) >
      • /ʃ/ (push, show)
      • /ʒ/ (measure, vision)
      • /tʃ/ (choose, match)
      • /dʒ/ (juice, edge)
      • /r/ (rose, borrow)
      • /y/ (yes, young)
    • Tongue-Soft Palate (Velar) >
      • /k/ (kiss, cat)
      • /g/ (gas, green)
      • /ŋ/ (hang, long)
    • Throat (Glottal) >
      • /h/ (help, hand)
  • Resources
    • Pronunciation Vocabulary
    • For Students
    • For Instructors