Choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic symbol /æ/

Analyze the question: You need the word that contains the vowel sound /æ/, the short "a" sound as in cat, man, bad.

Explain the concept: /æ/ is a short, open front vowel. Your mouth opens fairly wide, and the sound is made at the front of the mouth. Don't confuse it with:

• /ə/ (schwa), the weak "uh" sound, as in the first syllable of about
• /ɔː/, the long "aw" sound, as in caught or small
• /ʌ/, the "uh" sound, as in cup

Solution: transcribe each option

• A. snag is /snæɡ/. The "a" is the short vowel as in cat. This contains /æ/.
• B. around is /əˈraʊnd/. The "a" at the start is the schwa /ə/, not /æ/.
• C. small is /smɔːl/. The "a" before "ll" is the long /ɔː/ sound, as in call and wall.
• D. also is /ˈɔːlsəʊ/. The "a" is again /ɔː/.

Answer: The only word with the /æ/ sound is A. snag.

Tip: Rhyme-check the word. Snag rhymes with bag, flag, and drag, all of which have the /æ/ sound. Also, "a" before "ll" (small, all, talk, also) almost always gives /ɔː/, so you can eliminate options like C and D quickly. A word-initial unstressed "a" (as in around, about) is usually the schwa /ə/.