The Schwa Sound

The most common English vowel.

Examples

• about, banana

Key rules

• The schwa /ə/ is the most common vowel in English and occurs in unstressed syllables
• It sounds like a short, relaxed uh
• Dictionaries often show the schwa in words such as about and banana

Common mistakes

• about pronounced /aʊt/ → Say /əˈbaʊt/ with a schwa in the first syllable
• banana pronounced /bæˈnæˈnæ/ → Say /bəˈnɑːnə/

Use cases

• Speaking clearly
• Listening to native speakers
• Pronouncing multi-syllable words