Let’s dive into one of the trickiest pairs of English vowel sounds for many learners: /ɛ/ versus /æ/. Both are front vowels and are produced with a relaxed tongue, but the key difference lies in how high or low you position your tongue. The /ɛ/ sound, like the vowel in “men,” sits in the mid-low position: your lips relax, your tongue stays in the middle, and you simply let the air flow freely. It’s a smooth, easy sound to produce, almost like a comfortable hum.
On the flip side, /æ/ is a low vowel that requires your mouth muscles to work harder. Think of the vowel in “man” or “cat.” To make this sound, your jaws open wide, your tongue drops low, and the tip of your tongue lightly touches behind your bottom teeth, creating a somewhat “stretched” and tense feel. Many describe /æ/ as the “cry of a goat” — a sharp “meh-eh” sound. What’s fascinating is when /æ/ is followed by nasal sounds like /n/ or /m/, it becomes longer and tenser, almost like a mini stretch compared to the shorter /ɛ/ in “men.” So, the difference between “men” and “man” isn’t just spelling—it’s a whole world of mouth movement and sound!