How to Pronounce the AY Sound in Australian English
The AY sound is the vowel in wait, gate, shade and day. This guide from Aussie English with Amanda explains how the sound is spelt, how to make it, and how Australian English says it.
What Is the AY Sound?
The AY sound is the vowel sound in words like wait, braid, gate, shade and day. It is a diphthong, which means it is made of two vowel sounds that glide together, so your mouth moves while you say it.
The movement is the defining feature. The sound starts with the short A, as in hat, and glides into the long EE, as in feet.
The AY sound appears in very common words such as day, name, train, they, great and weigh, so it comes up constantly in everyday speech.
It matters because it is easy to confuse with the short EH sound, as in bed. When that happens, wait can sound like wet and mate can sound like met.
How Is the AY Sound Spelt?
English writes the AY sound in at least six different ways: A (name, late, face), AY (day, play, say), AI (train, rain, wait), EY (they, grey, hey), EA (great, steak, break) and EIGH (weigh, weight).
Because so many spellings share one sound, the letter on the page is an unreliable guide to pronunciation. Spelling does not equal pronunciation.
Common Mistakes With the AY Sound
The most common mistake is reading the letter A as the short A sound, as in hat. This turns train into tran.
A second mistake is replacing the AY sound with the short EH, as in egg, often because of a similar sound in the speaker's first language. This turns mate into met.
How to Make the AY Sound, Step by Step
Step 1: Start With the Short A
Open your mouth with the tongue low and the lips spread slightly, and say AA, as in hat. Keep it nice and open.
Step 2: Slide Into the Long EE
Let your tongue rise and your lips spread wider into the long EE sound, as in feet. If the EE sound is difficult, Aussie English with Amanda has a separate video on how to make it.
Step 3: Glide the Two Sounds Together
Move smoothly between the two sounds: AA, EE. AA, EE. AY.
The word DAY is a good word for isolating the sound, because it appears in every day of the week. Say DAY, AY, AY, and the AY in the middle is the sound you are training.
How Australian English Says the AY Sound
In Australian English, the AY diphthong starts with a quite open A. This is more open than the American version, which tends to start higher in the mouth.
Speakers who start from a more closed position can push the first sound lower and more open, then glide into EE: AA, then EE, AY.
AY Sound vs Short EH: Minimal Pairs
Minimal pairs are two words that differ by one sound. These five pairs contrast the short EH with the AY sound: wet and wait, bread and braid, get and gate, shed and shade, best and based.
The AY words have a glide, a movement upward. The short EH words are flat and quick.
Listen to each pair first, then repeat it, keeping the glide in the AY word.
The Intrusive Y After the AY Sound
When a word ends in the AY sound and the next word begins with a vowel sound, a small Y slides in between them to keep the speech smooth. This is called an intrusive Y.
Say it becomes say-yuht. Day outside becomes day-yowt-suyd. Away on leave becomes uh-way-yon leev. Weigh it becomes way-yuht.
The Y appears naturally where the two sounds meet, and no extra word is added. Aussie English with Amanda has a full video on the intrusive Y: [insert link].
AY Sound Practice Dialogue
This short dialogue between two friends, Emma and Josh, is full of AY sounds. Read it aloud in two rounds. In round one, you read Josh's lines. In round two, swap and read Emma's lines. Keep the glide in every AY sound.
EMMA: Hey! How was your day?
JOSH: Pretty good. Took the train into the city for a mate's birthday lunch.
EMMA: Oh nice! Where'd you go?
JOSH: That café near the lake. Great view, decent food.
EMMA: Sounds fab. Might head there this weekend if it stays sunny.
JOSH: Same! Let me know! I'm free most of Saturday and can meet you there.
The AY sounds to focus on are hey, day, train, mate's, birthday, café, lake, great, stays, same and Saturday. Nearly every sentence has one.
Key takeaways
● The AY sound is a diphthong, two vowel sounds gliding together, as in wait, gate, shade and day.
● It is spelt many ways, including A, AY, AI, EY, EA and EIGH, so spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation.
● To make it, start with the short A in hat, glide into the long EE in feet, and say them as one movement: AA, EE, AY.
● Australian English starts the AY sound with a more open A than the American version.
● The AY sound glides while the short EH is flat and quick, which is what separates wait from wet and mate from met.
● When a word ending in the AY sound meets a vowel, a small intrusive Y slides in, as in say-yuht.
FAQ
What is the AY sound in English?
The AY sound is the diphthong in words like wait, gate, shade and day. It glides from a short A towards a long EE.
Why do wait and wet sound different?
Wait has the AY sound, which glides upward, while wet has the short EH sound, which is flat and quick.
How is the AY sound different in Australian English?
In Australian English it starts with a more open A than the American version, which tends to start higher in the mouth.
What is an intrusive Y?
An intrusive Y is a small Y sound that slides in when a word ending in the AY sound is followed by a word starting with a vowel sound, as in say-yuht for say it.
If you're not sure where to focus your Australian English pronunciation practice next, Aussie English with Amanda has a free three-minute Clarity Quiz that gives you a personalised starting point. Take the quiz here
