How to Pronounce the Long I Sound in American English

The long i sound in American English is another “moving vowel,” or diphthong. This one is also made of two vowel sounds you already know! Short o – “ah,” and long e – “ee.”

To make this sound, start with your mouth half open and relaxed, in the short o position. Now widen your mouth, the sides of your tongue come up to touch your teeth, and say “ee.” Try it with me.

Don’t Let This Sound Give You Trouble

Many English learners have trouble with this sound. They often want to say “ee” (the long e sound) when they should say long i. I think this is because they are reading the word instead of listening to it. Many languages do have the letter “i,” and in many of them, like Spanish, this letter says “ee.” So remember to listen and repeat what you hear. Long i is a moving vowel, and you need to say the short o “ah” sound before you say the long e “ee” sound.

Practice these words with me from John chapter 1, and let’s learn how to make this important English vowel sound.

life
light
shines
might
right
why
I
Christ
time
cry

How are you doing? Remember, practice makes perfect! Take your time with this letter. Next, we are going to learn the long o sound. Click to go there now!