This is the ɪ sound. As in the words:
- in /ɪn/
- it /ɪt/
- with /wɪð/
The ɪ phoneme
The /ɪ/ sound is a Vowel sound and it’s technical name is the ‘Near-Close Near-Front Unrounded Vowel’. Remember that the key to pronunciation s physical and the name tells us about how the sound is made physically. In this case your tongue is close to the top and the front of your mouth. Unrounded refers to your lips because they are stretched out as if you are smiling and not rounded.
All vowels are made through the mouth and are voiced so you vibrate your vocal chords to make the sound.
It is similar to the /i:/ sound, but it is shorter.
/ɪ/ not /i:/.
How to Pronounce the /ɪ/ sound
To produce the sound put your tongue close to the top and the front of your mouth, and stretch out your lips, then make a short voiced sound with your mouth closed.
The /ɪ/ sound is normally spelled with the letter ‘i’ as in the words:
- this /ðɪs/
- give /gIv/
But it can also be spelled with the letter ‘e’. As in the words:
- become /bɪ’kʌm/
- because /bɪ’kɒz/
Like with all vowels in English, the spelling can be very inconsistent and you will always find alternative and unusual spellings of the vowels sounds. It is one of the most difficult things in English but you just have to learn it.
Here are some words that start with the ɪ sound
- if /ɪf/
- into /’ɪntʊ/
- include /ɪnˈkluːd/
- enough /ɪˈnʌf/
Here are some words that have the ɪ sound in the middle:
- which /wɪtʆ/
- his /hɪz/
- think /θɪŋk/
- will /wɪl/
This symbol is not often used at the end of words because when words end with this sound it is normally part of the Diphthong /ɔɪ/, or it is the extended vowel sound /i:/
So that is it for the /ɪ/ sound, but we have made additional videos on each of the groups of sounds Vowels, Diphthongs, Single Consonants, or Consonant Pairs as well as a video explaining the phonetic chart.