Short Vowels in Familiar Words — A1 English Pronunciation Practice Test
About this practice test
Practise A1 English pronunciation by listening for short vowels in familiar words in recorded word groups, then review the sound contrasts.
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
big. milk. six. tree.
Recording 2
Read the transcript
bus. cat. bag. hat.
Recording 3
Read the transcript
map. red. ten. leg.
Recording 4
Read the transcript
box. hot. blue. not.
Recording 5
Read the transcript
sun. bed. cup. run.
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Question 1 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- big
- milk
- six
- tree
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- tree
Big, milk and six share /ɪ/ as their vowel sound; tree has /iː/.
big: This word shares /ɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /iː/ sound.
milk: This word shares /ɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /iː/ sound.
six: This word shares /ɪ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /iː/ sound.
tree: Big, milk and six share /ɪ/ as their vowel sound; tree has /iː/.
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Question 2 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- bus
- cat
- bag
- hat
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- bus
Cat, bag and hat share /æ/ as their vowel sound; bus has /ʌ/.
bus: Cat, bag and hat share /æ/ as their vowel sound; bus has /ʌ/.
cat: This word shares /æ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ʌ/ sound.
bag: This word shares /æ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ʌ/ sound.
hat: This word shares /æ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ʌ/ sound.
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Question 3 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- map
- red
- ten
- leg
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- map
Red, ten and leg share /ɛ/ as their vowel sound; map has /æ/.
map: Red, ten and leg share /ɛ/ as their vowel sound; map has /æ/.
red: This word shares /ɛ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /æ/ sound.
ten: This word shares /ɛ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /æ/ sound.
leg: This word shares /ɛ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /æ/ sound.
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Question 4 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- box
- hot
- blue
- not
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- blue
Box, hot and not share /ɑː/ as their vowel sound; blue has /uː/.
box: This word shares /ɑː/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /uː/ sound.
hot: This word shares /ɑː/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /uː/ sound.
blue: Box, hot and not share /ɑː/ as their vowel sound; blue has /uː/.
not: This word shares /ɑː/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /uː/ sound.
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Question 5 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Listen to the four words. Which word has a different vowel sound from the other three?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- sun
- bed
- cup
- run
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- bed
Sun, cup and run share /ʌ/ as their vowel sound; bed has /ɛ/.
sun: This word shares /ʌ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɛ/ sound.
bed: Sun, cup and run share /ʌ/ as their vowel sound; bed has /ɛ/.
cup: This word shares /ʌ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɛ/ sound.
run: This word shares /ʌ/ with the matching group. Listen for the different /ɛ/ sound.
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.