æ is the IPA symbol for the Voiced Velar Approximant, a voiced velar approximant vowel. It appears in 51 of 500 languages (10% cross-linguistic frequency).
æ

Voiced Velar Approximant

Vowel · voiced

Audio via Wikimedia Commons

Languages using this sound 51 / 500
Cross-linguistic frequency 10%

Found in a minority of languages.

Type vowel

Articulation

Every speech sound is defined by three properties: its class (consonant, vowel, or tone), its place of articulation (where in the vocal tract it is formed — lips, teeth, palate, etc.), its manner (how airflow is controlled — stopped, funneled into a fricative, channeled through the nose), and its voicing (whether the vocal cords vibrate during production).

Class
Vowel
Voicing
Voiced
Place
Velar
Manner
Approximant

Languages using this sound

This sound appears in 51 of the 500 languages in our database. Languages that use a sound only in loanwords or in rare, specialized contexts are marked as marginal (*) — the sound exists but is not a core part of the phonological system. Click any language to view its full sound inventory.

Related sounds