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I heard the letter a was pronounced /ei/, and sometimes it was pronounced as /ə/. So, can you tell me when is it pronounced as /ei/, and when as /ə/?

Andrew Leach
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Anna Nguyen
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    Can you provide any words as examples? – jera Jan 14 '16 at 10:37
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    Nowhere near enough information. Pronunciation depends on the surrounding letters, the etymology of the word, and the dialect/accent of the person speaking. – AndyT Jan 14 '16 at 10:37
  • I think this question is currently too broad. We could answer a specific example like "Why is a pronounced differently in X and Y" where you could choose an X and Y which demonstrate the problem. – Andrew Leach Jan 14 '16 at 10:55
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    English pronunciation is a minefield. There are often patterns, guides and clues but rarely a simple, unambiguous answer, even for the shortest words - a cat (/ə kat/), a car (/ə kɑː/). And this is before you consider emphasis and regional variations (within and between countries). The secret to keeping a happy, positive attitude is to wonder and marvel at the madness. – Dan Jan 14 '16 at 11:23
  • Is your question about the letter "a" or the word "a"? The letter "a" has many more pronunciations than that in the many words in which it occurs. But for the word "a" (acting as the indefinite article, or as a letter name) there are only the two pronunciations you list. Please clarify. – herisson Jan 14 '16 at 11:29
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    If you're interested in this question from the viewpoint of someone learning English, then you might consider asking it over on English Language Learners: http://ell.stackexchange.com/ –  Jan 14 '16 at 12:14

1 Answers1

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Generally speaking, when referring to the letter of the alphabet "A," it's pronounced /ei/, but when referring to the word "a" that appears as an article before words, such as "a car" or "a boat," then it is almost always pronounced /ə/. The word "a" is occasionally pronounced /ei/, but only when the speaker wishes to give it special emphasis. For example:

I didn't say to put my purse in "a car"; I said to put it in "the car."

In this sentence, a speaker would likely pronounce "a" as /ei/, not the standard /ə/, just like the speaker would likely pronounce "the" as /ðiː/ instead of /ðə/.

Benjamin Harman
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