Sounds · American vowels
Can’t and ask have the A in cat
Class and after have the same A. It is not “ah”.
A + F · S · TH · N → A in cat
can't
Hear it in words
How each word is written, and how Americans say it.
- afterafter
- askask
- lastlast
- classclass
- fastfast
- passpass
- answeranswer
- dancedance
- pathpath
- ratherrather
- manman
- planplan
In a sentence
- Can I ask a question? Can I ask a question?
- See you after class. See you after class.
- That was so fast! That was so fast!
Careful with these
- In some words, the A sounds like “ah”: father, pasta, taco, spa
- After W, the A often sounds like “ah”: want, watch, wallet
- With an E at the end, the A sounds like “ay”: paste, taste, change
How to say it
- Open your mouth wide and spread your lips a little, as for cat.
- Say cat, then can’t: the A is the same.
- Keep your tongue low and forward, not pulled back as for “ah”.
Listen for: The A in can’t: open and wide, like the A in cat.
Where to look for it
An A before F, S or TH, or before N and another consonant: after, class, path, can’t, dance. In father, spa and calm, the A sounds like “ah”.
More about it
Many A words have the A in cat: back, have, thanks. This page lists the ones where learners often say “ah”. In the US, aunt usually sounds like ant. Before M or N, many Americans move the A a little toward “eh”: man, can’t. You don’t need to copy it. British English often says can’t, after and class with “ah”; American English uses the A in cat.
Teachers call this: The BATH words, said with the TRAP vowel.
Listen for it today. When someone says “after work” or “I can’t”, listen for the A in cat.