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The Pronunciation Lounge

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/ə/: The most common sound in English

Episode 250224 / 24 Feb 2025

(Images via Getty Images)

Free worksheet and transcript
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Watch Episode 2
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/ə/ The schwa - the most common sound in English

The /ə/ sound is so special that it even has its own name – schwa. It's in lots of words you already know, like:

  • doctor /dɑktə/
  • elephant /eləfənt/
  • balloon /bəluːn/

In fact, any letter representing a vowel sound can be pronounced as schwa. For example, the first vowel in the word 'connect' is a schwa sound but it's written with the letter 'o', and the second vowel in the word 'bonus' is a schwa sound but it’s written with the letter 'u'.

  • connect /kənekt/
  • bonus /bəʊnəs/

The schwa sound is especially common in small words that are usually unstressed in a sentence. For example:

  • the /ðə/
  • a /ə/
  • and /ən/
  • or /ə/
  • for /fə/
  • from /frəm/

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To do

Practise by using the worksheet on this page. The clip we heard came from an episode of The English We Speak– listen to the whole programme. 

Next

What's the difference between British and American English pronunciation? Watch Episode 2 here and learn about the /r/ sound. 

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