Lessons Unit 1, lesson 11

eɪ as in say

One long vowel, on its own page. The ː mark means hold it — hear it alone, then in the words, then say them yourself.

What do the marks mean?

ˈriːdread Stressed part — say it louder & longer.

təto Weak word — say it quickly & softly.

∅e Silent letter — don’t pronounce it.

θth Underline — these letters spell one sound.

wa·ter Dot · — a syllable break.

go‿on Linked — blend the words together.

?↗︎↘︎ Arrows — voice rises ↗︎ or falls ↘︎.

ˈsɛvən7 Number — how to say it aloud.

read² ² mark — has a second pronunciation.

guess? ? mark — a best guess; double-check it.

Want the full walkthrough? Read the map explains every mark, with practice.

eɪthe ay in say

Start at e and glide up to ee: say, name. One smooth movement — don't stop in the middle.

say

name

day

may

Now say it yourself

Read each word from its sheet, out loud, three times. Where there's a play button, listen first and copy what you hear. Slow is fine — speaking clearly matters more than speaking fast. Tap a word's microphone to record yourself and see which sounds landed.

way

ate

hay

ape

paper

table

It's a glide, not a flat vowel

The most common mistake is holding this sound flat, the way many other languages spell a simple e. But English eɪ always moves — start with your mouth half-open and glide upward as your jaw closes and your lips ease toward a smile. Say said flat sounds clipped and foreign; said as one smooth glide, it sounds natural.

Spellings to know

This vowel hides behind many spellings: ay (say, day, may, way, hay), silent-e a_e (name, ate, ape, table), and plain a in some open syllables (paper). Whenever you see a single a followed by a consonant and then a silent e, expect this glide, not a short æ.

A quick self-test

Say day in slow motion and watch your jaw close as the sound rises. Then compare ate with at — ate should end higher and brighter, with your lips easing toward a smile, while at stays flat and open the whole way through.