Minimal pair · General American
English /æ/ vs /ʌ/Cap or cup?
Compare the stressed vowel /æ/ with /ʌ/ in short words. Each reference pair keeps its first and last consonants; X uses a different word frame with the same target vowel category. Broader vowel-training evidence motivates coverage; this binary pool remains an editorial extrapolation.
Practice these soundsThe TRAP vowel
This is the stressed vowel category in the first set of General American examples.
The STRUT vowel
This is the stressed vowel category in the second set of General American examples.
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Cat/cut, cap/cup and lack/luck contrast /æ/ with /ʌ/. Each pair shares its first consonant and its final consonant, so the vowel is the changing target.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
A written a or u is not a dependable sound rule across all English words. These examples use stressed vowels in General American citation forms, not reduced vowels in connected speech.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each word10 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.