Hebrew vowel (nikud) · sounds like "eh"
Segol (סֶגּוֹל): The Hebrew Vowel for a Short "Eh" Sound
Segol (סֶגּוֹל) is a Hebrew nikud (vowel point) written as three dots in an upside-down triangle beneath a consonant, and it produces a short "e" sound like the e in "bed" or "eggs." It is read after the letter it sits under and is classified as a short vowel in the traditional Hebrew vowel system.
What Segol Looks Like and How It Sounds
Segol is one of the easier nikud (vowel points) to recognize: three small dots arranged in an inverted, upside-down triangle, placed directly beneath the consonant it follows. Like nearly all Hebrew vowels, it is read after the letter it sits under, so a letter pointed with segol is pronounced as that consonant plus a short "eh." The sound is a short "e" as in the English words "bed" or "eggs" — phonetically /ɛ/ in Tiberian and Biblical Hebrew, and a mid front [e̞] in Modern Hebrew. The name segol comes from an Aramaic word meaning "cluster (of grapes)," a fitting description of the little grape-cluster of three dots. When you are learning to chant Torah, the practical takeaway is simple: see the inverted triangle, say "eh."
Segol, Tzere, and the "Eh" Family
In the traditional grammatical scheme that sorts vowels into long, short, and reduced, segol is a short vowel. Its long counterpart in the "e" family is the tzere, written as two horizontal dots. In Biblical/Tiberian Hebrew these were genuinely distinct vowels, but in Modern Hebrew the length distinction is no longer audible — segol and tzere are pronounced identically. This matters for chanting because several different signs all yield an "eh" sound: segol, tzere, the reduced chataf segol, and a vocal (mobile) sheva. Because the sound alone won't tell you which sign you're looking at, fluent readers identify the vowel by its written form rather than by ear. TropeTrainer helps build that recognition by letting you hear and practice Torah reading with trope at an adjustable speed, so you can slow a verse down, watch the vowels, and connect each sign to its sound.
Chataf Segol: The Reduced Form Under Gutturals
Hebrew has reduced (chataf) vowels that appear under the guttural letters א, ה, ח, and ע, because those letters cannot easily carry an ordinary mobile sheva. The chataf segol (חֲטַף סֶגּוֹל) is the reduced form of segol: a segol combined with a sheva, producing a five-dot mark. It is pronounced as a quick, light "eh." Think of chataf segol as a hurried version of the same vowel — same "eh" quality, just shortened — that gives a guttural letter a small voiced vowel where a plain sheva would otherwise sit. Recognizing it is mostly a matter of spotting the segol's triangle paired with the two vertical dots of a sheva beneath one of the guttural letters.
Easily-Confused Vowels: Sheva and Kamatz
Two related distinctions often come up alongside segol because they trip up new readers. First, the sheva (two vertical dots) comes in two kinds: sheva na (mobile/vocal), pronounced as a short "eh" and typically found under the first letter of a word or after a long vowel; and sheva nach (resting/silent), which carries no vowel and acts as a stop between syllables. Only the vocal sheva sounds like segol's "eh." Second, the kamatz sign looks identical in two roles: kamatz gadol is a long "ah," while kamatz katan is a short "o," and the two are told apart by syllable structure and context rather than by appearance. These are separate signs from segol, but they are commonly taught together because, like the "eh" family, they remind learners that the same-looking mark can carry more than one sound — so context and the sign itself, not just the sound, guide correct reading.
Frequently asked questions
What is a segol in Hebrew?
Segol (סֶגּוֹל) is a Hebrew nikud, or vowel point, written as three dots in an upside-down triangle beneath a consonant. It marks a short "e" sound, like the e in "bed," and is read after the letter it sits under. In the traditional Hebrew vowel system it is classified as a short vowel.
How do you pronounce segol?
Segol is pronounced as a short "eh," like the e in "bed" or "eggs" (IPA /ɛ/ in Biblical Hebrew, [e̞] in Modern Hebrew). A consonant pointed with segol is read as that letter plus this short "eh" — for example, a bet with segol sounds like "beh."
What is the difference between segol and tzere?
Segol and tzere both belong to the "e" family of Hebrew vowels. Traditionally segol is the short vowel (three dots in a triangle) and tzere is its long counterpart (two horizontal dots). In Biblical/Tiberian Hebrew they were distinct sounds, but in Modern Hebrew the length distinction has merged, so segol and tzere are now pronounced identically.
What does chataf segol mean?
Chataf segol (חֲטַף סֶגּוֹל) is the reduced form of segol — a segol combined with a sheva, forming a five-dot mark. It is pronounced as a quick, light "eh" and appears under the guttural letters א, ה, ח, and ע, which cannot take an ordinary mobile sheva.
Ready to start chanting?
Join thousands of students, cantors, and congregations who learn Torah with TropeTrainer.
© 2026 HazzanSolutions. All rights reserved.