Sound Gym
pet · pit · bet
Short /ɛ/ vs short /ɪ/ — pet and bet share the same vowel, only pit uses /ɪ/. One tongue height, three words.
pet
/pɛt/
short /ɛ/ — mid-open
pit
/pɪt/
short /ɪ/ — nearly closed
bet
/bɛt/
same /ɛ/ as pet
noun or verb — a domestic animal kept for companionship; OR to stroke gently — 'a family pet' · 'pet cat' · 'teacher's pet' · 'to pet the dog'
mouth shape
short /ɛ/ — mouth mid-open, lips slightly spread — like 'bed', 'set', 'ten' — NOT as open as /æ/ in 'cat', NOT as closed as /ɪ/ in 'pit'
pet
/pɛt/
vowel length
noun — a deep hole in the ground; OR the stone inside a fruit — 'a gravel pit' · 'pit stop' · 'the pit of your stomach' · 'peach pit'
mouth shape
short /ɪ/ — tongue high and forward, mouth nearly closed — like 'bit', 'sit', 'hit' — higher than /ɛ/ in pet, feel the difference
pit
/pɪt/
vowel length
noun or verb — to wager money on an outcome — 'place a bet' · 'I bet you can't' · 'a safe bet' · 'you bet!' (informal: certainly)
mouth shape
same /ɛ/ vowel as pet — only the initial consonant changes: /p/ → /b/ — same tongue height, lips round slightly more for /b/
bet
/bɛt/
vowel length
Vowel height spotlight — /ɛ/ vs /ɪ/
pet · bet — /ɛ/
pet
/pɛt/ · /bɛt/
mouth mid-open · jaw drops a bit
like: bed · set · ten · pen
pit — /ɪ/
pit
/pɪt/
mouth nearly closed · tongue high
like: bit · sit · hit · lid
Key differences
pet and bet share the vowel /ɛ/ — they differ only in the initial consonant (/p/ voiceless vs /b/ voiced).
pit uses /ɪ/ — tongue higher, mouth more closed. Same initial /p/ as pet, same final /t/, but the vowel is completely different.
Tip: to feel the difference, put your hand in front of your mouth — pet/bet have a tiny puff of air on the /b/ vs /p/, while pit has a similar puff but a higher, tighter vowel.
Example sentences
pet:“They got a pet rabbit for the children.”
pit:“The workers dug a large pit to lay the foundations.”
bet:“I’ll bet you five pounds it rains tomorrow.”
Hear it in a sentence
“Her pet rabbit escaped twice before they finally fixed the hutch latch.”
“The miners worked deep inside the old coal pit for twelve hours a day.”
“I'll bet you ten pounds it rains before we get to the bus stop.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
pet
Hear native speakers say “pet” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
pit
Hear native speakers say “pit” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
bet
Hear native speakers say “bet” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
pet family ▸
pit / bet families ▸
Comments
Comments are reviewed before they appear publicly.