French /e/ vs /ɛ/
fée vs fait: é closed, è open, one jaw notch apart
French has two "e" sounds that English rolls into one. é (e fermé) is close-mid, tongue a bit higher, jaw barely open. è (e ouvert) is open-mid, jaw a notch lower. Both are front and unrounded. English "ay" as in "day" is a diphthong that smears both positions together, which is why your ears do not separate them by default.
The ABX drill to the right plays two reference sounds then a mystery sound X. Choose which one X matches. Your brain will start building the contrast after just a few rounds.
Listen carefully...
Mystery sound
One-time payment. No subscription.
Lifetime access for $29. 30-day money-back guarantee. No subscription.
Why English speakers hear /e/ and /ɛ/ as the same vowel
English "ay" in "day," "say," or "eight" is not a pure vowel. It is a diphthong that starts near /ɛ/ and glides up toward /e/ or even /i/ before the consonant lands. Your ears grew up packaging that whole glide into one perceptual category.
When French hands you two separate, pure, non-gliding vowels at the same two endpoints of that diphthong, your brain says "both of those are inside the English ay category" and flattens the contrast. You hear both as a slightly off version of the same sound.
The good news: the physical difference between /e/ and /ɛ/ is small and mechanical — one jaw-height notch. Once your ear learns to separate the two, your mouth will follow quickly.
- ✗ You say laid (ugly) but mean les (the, pl)
- ✗ You say fait (done) but mean fée (fairy)
- ✗ You say mais (but) but mean mes (my, pl)
- ✗ You smear both into English "ay" and drop the contrast
- ✓ /e/ and /ɛ/ become two separate categories in your head
- ✓ The jaw-height cue becomes audible and reliable
- ✓ Production stops gliding and sits on the target vowel
How to produce /e/ and /ɛ/
- 1. Say English "ay" as in "day," but stop before the glide.
- 2. Hold the vowel steady — no movement, no gliding up toward /i/.
- 3. Jaw is only slightly open, tongue forward and high.
- 4. Lips relaxed and slightly spread. That pure, steady vowel is /e/.
- 1. Start from /e/ (the vowel in "thé") with jaw slightly open.
- 2. Drop your jaw one more notch. Tongue stays forward.
- 3. The vowel in English "bed" or "said" is a close approximation.
- 4. Keep it short and tense — do not let it slide into schwa.
Say "day" slowly and feel your jaw rise through the word. French /e/ is the top of that motion; French /ɛ/ is the bottom. Freeze your jaw at either endpoint and hold the vowel there. No gliding, no movement. Most learners find /e/ first, then drop one notch for /ɛ/.
Spanish "e" is very close to French /e/ already — pure, non-gliding, mid-front. Italian distinguishes /e/ and /ɛ/ in stressed syllables much like French does (pesca "peach" vs pesca "fishing"). If you have either language in your head, map those vowels straight onto the French pair.
Minimal pairs: tap each word to hear it
Real French words that differ only in the /e/ vs /ɛ/ contrast. Click each one to compare.
the (plural) | ↔ | ugly |
fairy | ↔ | done / fact |
my (plural) | ↔ | but |
his/her (plural) | ↔ | knows (savoir) |
tea | ↔ | pillowcase |
Frequently asked
Explore more guides
French Minimal PairsAll French sound contrast guidesé vs è is just one of many French contrasts
MinimalPairs trains your ear on all the hard French distinctions with ABX drills. Personalized targeting means you spend time on the pairs you actually struggle with.
Train all French minimal pairsOne-time payment. All languages included. No subscription.