The Letter I

In this lesson, we will learn about all the sounds of the letter I. It is the ninth letter of the English alphabet. Do you know anything about it?

"The Letter I" in the English Alphabet

'I' is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the modern English alphabet.

Vowels are sounds that are pronounced without any restriction in the vocal tract. It means we can produce it with the unrestricted flow of air.

Uppercase Form I
Lowercase i
Name i (pronounced /ˈaɪ/)
Common Sounds /ɪ/, /aɪ/, /ə/, /ɜː/, /i:/

The Letter I: Sounds

Vowels in the English language can have many many sounds. Here we will look at some of its common ones.

Common Sounds

Sound 1: /ɪ/

'i' mainly sounds /ɪ/, the short sound of 'i':

pig /pɪɡ/

insect /ˈɪnsekt/

lip /lɪp/

Sound 2: /aɪ/

'i' also sounds /aɪ/ when 'i' stands between two consonants or at the beginning of words and before consonants:

child /tʃaɪld/

tiger /ˈtaɪɡər/

iron /ˈaɪərn/

Sound 3: /ə/

'i' sounds /ə/:

pupil /ˈpjuːpəl/

nostril /ˈnɑːstrəl/

basin /ˈbeɪsən/

Sound 4: /ɜː/

'i' sounds /ɜː/ between two consonants:

birth /bɜːrθ/

bird /bɜːrd/

shirt /ʃɜːrt/

Sound 5: /i:/

'i' also sounds /i:/:

physique /fɪˈziːk/

oblique /əˈbliːk/

Fiat /ˈfiːɑːt/

Other Sounds

Sound 6: /j/

'i' also sounds /j/ in some cases:

onion /ˈʌnjən/

opinion /əˈpɪnjən/

The Letter I: Multigraphs

'I' can also appear in combination with other letters (mainly vowels and sometimes consonants). They can create distinct vowels:

ie

'ie' sounds /iː/:

achieve /əˈtʃiːv/

brief /briːf/

cookie /ˈkʊki/

'i' after a consonant and before the vowel 'e' sounds /aɪ/:

pie /paɪ/

tie /taɪ/

lie /laɪ/

Tip

'ie' in the word friend sounds /e/:

friend /frend/

ai

'ai' sounds /eɪ/:

snail /sneɪl/

train /treɪn/

sail /seɪl/

'ai' also sounds /e/:

again /əˈɡen/

said /'sed/

against /əˈɡenst/

'ai' also sounds /ə/:

curtain /ˈkɝː.tən/

certain /ˈsɝː.tən/

air

'air' sounds /er/:

chair /tʃer/

pair /per/

fair /fer/

Tip

'ai' sounds /aɪ/ in the word 'bonsai':

bonsai /ˌbɑːnˈsaɪ/

ei

'ei' mainly sounds /eɪ/:

veil /veɪl/

reign /reɪn/

rein /reɪn/

'ei' also sounds /i:/:

receive /rɪˈsiːv/

ceiling /ˈsiːlɪŋ/

receipt /rɪˈsiːt/

'ei' also sounds /i:/ or /ˈaɪ/ in these two words and their combinations:

either /ˈiːðər/, /ˈaɪðər/

neither /ˈniːðər/, /ˈnaɪðər/

Tip

Note that 'ei' in the word 'neither' and 'either' sounds /aɪ/ in British English, while it sounds /iː/ in American English.

eigh

'eigh' sounds /eɪ/, in other words 'gh' is silent:

neighbor /ˈneɪbər/

eight /eɪt/

weight /weɪt/

Tip

'eigh' in the word height sounds /aɪ/:

height /haɪt/

oi

'oi' sounds /ɔɪ/:

joint /dʒɔɪnt/

coin /kɔɪn/

toilet /ˈtɔɪ.lət/

'oi' also sounds /ə/:

tortoise /ˈtɔː.təs/

porpoise /ˈpɔː.pəs/

ui

'ui' together sounds /uː/:

fruit /fruːt/

juice /dʒuːs/

suit /suːt/

However, 'ui' sometimes sounds /ɪ/:

biscuit /ˈbɪskɪt/

building /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

circuit /ˈsɜːkɪt/

ia

'ia' sounds /ə/:

special /ˈspeʃ.əl/

official /əˈfɪʃ.əl/

Egyptian /iˈdʒɪp.ʃən/

The Letter I: Uses

The letter 'i' can be used as
The first-person singular nominative pronoun is "I", always written with a capital letter

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