/ɪ/

short vowel

The Short I Sound

as in sit

How to make the /ɪ/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Relax your lips — no smile.
  2. 2Tongue high in front but lower than for long E.
  3. 3Make it quick and light: "ih".

⚠ The most common mistake

Stretching it into long E so "ship" becomes "sheep".

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

Train your ear: /ɪ/ vs //

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

Practice: Record & Compare

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

Practice words with /ɪ/

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

More short vowels

See all 44 sounds of English →