Everyday Vowel Pairs — A1 English Pronunciation Practice Test
About this practice test
Practise A1 English pronunciation: compare vowel sounds in clearly separated word pairs, with a focus on everyday vowel pairs.
What you’ll practice
Hear the difference
Recognise vowel and consonant contrasts in clear recordings.
Stress and rhythm
Identify strong syllables and emphasized words.
Listen and review
Replay each recording and learn from answer explanations.
What to expect:
5 questions with explanations to review after submission.
Study the questions and tasks
Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.
- Practice level
- A1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
- Question formats
- Single choice
How to approach this practice
Read the instructions and work through the questions before opening the answers.
Recording 1
Read the transcript
First word: cat. Second word: bag.
Recording 2
Read the transcript
First word: pen. Second word: red.
Recording 3
Read the transcript
First word: fish. Second word: feet.
Recording 4
Read the transcript
First word: cup. Second word: bus.
Recording 5
Read the transcript
First word: hat. Second word: hot.
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Question 1 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their vowel sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Same
The words are cat and bag. The stressed vowel in both words is /æ/.
Same: The words are cat and bag. The stressed vowel in both words is /æ/.
Different: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
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Question 2 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their vowel sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Same
The words are pen and red. The stressed vowel in both words is /ɛ/.
Same: The words are pen and red. The stressed vowel in both words is /ɛ/.
Different: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
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Question 3 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their vowel sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Different
The words are fish and feet. Fish has /ɪ/, while feet has /iː/.
Same: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
Different: The words are fish and feet. Fish has /ɪ/, while feet has /iː/.
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Question 4 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their vowel sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Same
The words are cup and bus. The stressed vowel in both words is /ʌ/.
Same: The words are cup and bus. The stressed vowel in both words is /ʌ/.
Different: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
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Question 5 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the two words. Is their vowel sound the same or different?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Same
- Different
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Different
The words are hat and hot. Hat has /æ/, while hot has /ɑ/.
Same: Listen again and compare only the target sound named in the question.
Different: The words are hat and hot. Hat has /æ/, while hot has /ɑ/.
What to review next
Review the feedback and revisit the topics you found difficult before trying again.
A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.