Vowel sound like 'cat': hat, hut, hot, hit.

**The reasoning** The vowel sound in "cat" is the **short 'a' sound** /æ/ — your mouth opens wide, like you're saying "ah" at the dentist, but shorter and flatter. Now let's check each option: - **hat** → /hæt/ — same wide, short 'a' sound ✓ - **hut** → /hʌt/ — this is the short 'u' sound (like "uh") - **hot** → /hɒt/ — this is the short 'o' sound (rounded lips, like "oh") - **hit** → /hɪt/ — this is the short 'i' sound (like "ih") Only **hat** matches the vowel sound in **cat**. --- **Why the wrong options tempt you** All four words look similar (h_t pattern), so you might think they all sound alike. But **spelling doesn't always match sound** in English! Each vowel letter (a, u, o, i) makes a *different* sound here, even though the words are spelled similarly. --- **Quick takeaway** When matching vowel *sounds*, ignore spelling — **say the words out loud** and listen for which one makes your mouth move the same way.