Pronunciation of /ɪ/ and /aɪ/

1. Two sounds of ‘I’ in English
A short lesson and practice

2. ‘I’ in ‘pine’
(aɪ)
• lie
• write
• time
• line
This sound is the same
as the name of the
letter ‘I’ in English.
Some example English words
that have this sound:
Do you know more?
• fight
• life
• sign
• why

3. ‘I’ in ‘pin’
(ɪ)
• six
• which
• give
• thin
This sound is more relaxed and
shorter than ‘I’ in ‘pine’. It’s
easier to pronounce if you keep
the front of your mouth
slightly open, and relax your
tongue.
Some example English words
that have this sound:
Do you know more?
• big
• list
• inch
• quick

4. Practice with
‘minimal
pairs’
‘I’ in ‘pine’ (aɪ) ‘I’ in ‘pin’ (ɪ)
file fill
shine shin
rhyme rim
slime slim

5. Key terms
from your
field
Can you think of
English vocabulary
words from your field
of study that have
these two sounds?
‘I’ in ‘pine’ (aɪ) ‘I’ in ‘pin’ (ɪ)