The Vowel Sound /ɛ/

The /ɛ/: the short front e

The /ɛ/ is a short front vowel, close to the Spanish e but a little more open and more relaxed. It's one of the easier English vowels for a Spanish speaker — as long as you don't confuse it with /æ/, its more open neighbor.

How it's made

• 👄 Mouth: slightly open, lips relaxed and not rounded.
• 👅 Tongue: forward and low, but not all the way down.
• 🔊 Voice: voiced and short — don't stretch it.

You hear it in: bed · said · head · ten · friend

⚠️ The typical Spanish-speaker mistake: confusing it with /æ/. Open too far and bed becomes bad, pen becomes pan.

By the end you'll be able to: land your jaw at the right mid position and keep bed / bad and pen / pan apart.