How to Pronounce the Schwa Sound in American English

The most common vowel sound in American English isn’t a letter, it’s just a sound. It’s called the schwa sound, and in this lesson we’re going to learn how to make it. But don’t worry! This is one of the easiest sounds to make in American English.

How Is Schwa Pronounced?

The schwa sound is very similar to the short open u sound, as in “umbrella.” But your mouth will be more relaxed – open only a little bit. Your lips and tongue are doing absolutely nothing. I like to think of this sound as the sound you make when you wake up in the morning, at least it’s the sound I make!

Start by saying the word “umbrella,” with short open u. You’ll feel your tongue push down, just a little bit. Umbrella. Umbrella. Now for the schwa sound, you’re going to relax your tongue completely. You may feel it raise just a little bit.

A Short, Soft, Unstressed Sound

Schwa is always a short, soft sound, because it only appears in unstressed syllables. Sometimes it even disappears completely, and we’ll talk about that in another video.

How Do You Spell Schwa, If It Doesn’t Have a Letter?

Any vowel or any diphthong can be pronounced as a schwa. That’s why it’s so important to practice your listening skills! As you learn the rhythms and stress patterns of English, you will understand that turning a vowel into a schwa sound will become natural for you.

Say these words with me from John chapter 1. I’ve underlined the vowel that becomes a schwa sound.

the
was
recognize
among
about
Moses
confessed
prophet
sandal
Jordan
Jesus

When you learn how to make this sound, and use it properly in the words that need it, you will sound much more native-like when you speak English.

That’s it for the short vowel sounds! Click this button to move on to the long vowel sounds in American English.