//

long vowel

The Long E Sound

as in see

How to make the // sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Spread your lips into a slight smile.
  2. 2Raise the front of your tongue high, close to the roof of the mouth.
  3. 3Hold the sound — it is long: "seeee".

⚠ The most common mistake

Cutting it short so "sheep" sounds like "ship".

Especially tricky for speakers of: Spanish, Italian, Japanese.

Train your ear: // vs /ɪ/

These two words differ by exactly one sound. Tap both — can you hear it?

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying see, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with //

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

More long vowels

See all 44 sounds of English →