Lips
Spread your lips wide and tense, like a faint smile. Jaw nearly closed so the opening is a thin slit, teeth close together and just visible, as in the animation.
Long vowels
/i/ · /iː/as in fleece
The vowel in "fleece". A long, tense "ee" with the tongue high and forward.
Example words: fleece, see, me, tea, green
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /i/ · /iː/ sound?
Tongue
Push the front of your tongue very high and far forward, close to the hard palate. You should feel real muscle tension.
Length
Long. Hold it noticeably longer than the short "i": "sheep" stretches out, "ship" is clipped. Before voiceless sounds like "t" it shortens a little, but the tension stays.
Video lesson
Try it
- Smile slightly and press the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth.
- Say "ee" and hold it for a full second. Feel the tension.
- Keep that tension in real words.
- Try: fleece, see, me.
Check
Say "ee" while gently touching your cheeks: you should feel the muscles engaged. Then record "sheep, ship". If "sheep" doesn't sound clearly longer and brighter, add more smile and more hold.
Common trap
The mirror image of the "kit" trap: if you relax too much, "sheep" collapses into "ship" and "leave" into "live". Length alone isn't enough. Without the tight tongue and spread lips, a long lax vowel still sounds wrong.
Practice: /i/ · /iː/
Words
fleeceflˈis
seesˈi
memˌi
teatˈi
greenɡɹˈin
Sentences
Please give me a cup of tea.plˈiz ɡˈɪv mˌi ɐ kˈʌp ʌv tˈi.
We see green trees by the sea.wˌi sˈi ɡɹˈin tɹˈiz baɪ ðə sˈi.
She needs to sleep at least three hours.ʃˌi nˈidz tə slˈip æt lˈist θɹˈi ˈaʊəɹz.
These sweet peaches are cheap this week.ðˌiz swˈit pˈitʃᵻz ɑɹ tʃˈip ðɪs wˈik.
He eats cheese and meat every evening.hˌi ˈits tʃˈiz ænd mˈit ˈɛvəɹi ˈivnɪŋ.
Words
fleeceflˈiːs
seesˈiː
memˌiː
teatˈiː
greenɡɹˈiːn
Sentences
Please give me a cup of tea.plˈiːz ɡˈɪv mˌiː ɐ kˈʌp ɒv tˈiː.
We see green trees by the sea.wˌiː sˈiː ɡɹˈiːn tɹˈiːz baɪ ðə sˈiː.
She needs to sleep at least three hours.ʃˌiː nˈiːdz tə slˈiːp at lˈiːst θɹˈiː ˈaʊəz.
These sweet peaches are cheap this week.ðˌiːz swˈiːt pˈiːtʃɪz ɑː tʃˈiːp ðɪs wˈiːk.
He eats cheese and meat every evening.hˌiː ˈiːts tʃˈiːz and mˈiːt ˈɛvəɹi ˈiːvnɪŋ.
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Sounds in the same group
Is /i/ · /iː/ one of yours?
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