Hebrew vowel (nikud) · sounds like "eh (reduced)"
Chataf Segol (חֲטַף סֶגּוֹל): The Hebrew Reduced "Eh" Vowel
Chataf Segol (חֲטַף סֶגּוֹל) is one of Hebrew's three reduced ("hataf") vowels, written as a sheva paired with a segol beneath a consonant and pronounced as a quick, short "eh" — like the "e" in "bet." It is always vocalized, never silent, and always opens a syllable.
What Chataf Segol Is and How It Sounds
Chataf Segol (also transliterated Hataf Segol) is a reduced or "ultrashort" Hebrew vowel — one of three hataf vowels, alongside Chataf Patach and Chataf Kamatz. Graphically it is a digraph written under the consonant: the two stacked vertical dots of a sheva placed beside the three-dot inverted triangle of a segol (Unicode U+05B1, glyph ◌ֱ). It produces a short "e" sound, like the "e" in "bet" or "temp" (IPA [e̞]). In duration, grammars rank it between a plain segol and a sheva — it is shorter than a regular segol and functions as a vocalized sheva that has been "colored" toward an e-quality. The two practical rules for a reader are simple: a chataf segol is always pronounced (it is never silent), and it always begins a syllable. With TropeTrainer you can hear vowels like this sounded in real Torah readings and slow the playback down to catch each ultrashort vowel as you practice.
Why Chataf Segol Exists: The Guttural Letters
The hataf vowels exist to solve a pronunciation problem. A vocal sheva (sheva na) is a quick "eh" that opens a syllable, but the guttural letters — aleph (א), he (ה), het (ח), and ayin (ע) — resist carrying a bare vocal sheva. The hataf vowels step in as a substitute: they take that hard-to-pronounce vocal sheva and give it an audible vowel color, making it easy to say. Chataf Segol is the e-colored member of this family. When you see it under a guttural, read it as a brisk "eh" that leads into the next sound. Because a hataf is by definition a vocalized reduced vowel, it removes the ambiguity that a plain sheva carries — there is no "silent" version of a chataf segol to worry about. This vowel system was devised by the Masoretes between roughly the 7th and 10th centuries CE, who built the hataf marks by combining a sheva with a patach, segol, or kamatz.
Chataf Segol vs. Sheva, Segol, and Kamatz
Several Hebrew vowels are easy to confuse with — or are contrasted against — chataf segol, so it helps to line them up. Sheva: A plain sheva can be vocal (na, pronounced "eh") or silent (nach, a stop with no vowel) depending on its position in the word. A chataf removes this ambiguity — it is unambiguously a vocal, reduced vowel that is always sounded. Segol: A plain (short) segol is the same "eh" quality but a full short vowel; the chataf version is shorter still — a reduced, fleeting version of that sound. Kamatz: A kamatz looks the same whether it is gadol (a long "ah" in open or stressed syllables) or katan (a short "o" in a closed, unaccented syllable, as in חָכְמָה, chochmah). Hataf vowels carry no such gadol/katan split — they are always short. (Note: it is Chataf Kamatz, the o-colored hataf, that parallels kamatz katan; Chataf Segol does not.) Modern merger: In Modern Israeli Hebrew, chataf segol, plain segol, tzere, and vocal sheva have all collapsed to the same plain "e" sound, even though they were historically distinct in duration and quality. So for everyday Modern Hebrew reading, all four sound alike — but the chataf's grammatical behavior (always vocal, always opening a syllable) still matters for understanding word structure.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chataf Segol?
Chataf Segol (חֲטַף סֶגּוֹל) is one of Hebrew's three reduced "hataf" vowels. It is written under a consonant as a sheva (two stacked dots) next to a segol (three dots in an inverted triangle) and is pronounced as a quick, short "eh" sound. It is always vocalized and always opens a syllable.
How do you pronounce Chataf Segol?
Pronounce it as a short, brisk "eh" — like the "e" in "bet" or "temp" (IPA [e̞]). It is shorter than a regular segol but uses the same vowel quality, and it is never silent. With TropeTrainer you can hear the sound in actual Torah readings and slow the audio down to catch each ultrashort vowel.
What does Chataf Segol mean and what is it for?
The word "chataf" means "reduced" or "snatched," referring to its ultrashort duration. Its main job is to replace a vocal sheva (sheva na) under the guttural letters aleph (א), he (ה), het (ח), and ayin (ע), which cannot easily carry a bare vocal sheva. The chataf gives that sheva an audible "eh" color so it can be pronounced smoothly.
What is the difference between Chataf Segol and a regular Segol or Sheva?
A regular segol is a full short "eh" vowel; chataf segol is a reduced, shorter version of that sound. A plain sheva can be either vocal ("eh") or silent depending on position, but a chataf segol is always vocal and always sounded. In Modern Israeli Hebrew, chataf segol, segol, tzere, and vocal sheva all merged to the same plain "e" sound.
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