The Differences in Pronunciation between e and i and e

In this video, we're going to explore the differences in pronunciation between the letters e, e, and i. You may be able to hear the difference, but I'm going to let you see it with our first word, "sit." Take a close look at how my mouth is not moving much, and my tongue is on the back of my teeth as I say "sit" repeatedly, almost pushing out a puff of air when I speak. This lack of movement in my mouth and placement of my tongue on the back of my teeth are key indicators of the pronunciation of this letter combination.

Let's practice together by repeating the word "sit." As you can see, my mouth is still not moving much, and I'm using a consistent pronunciation for both instances of the "i" in "sit." Now, let's look at the difference between "e" and "i" with the word "seat." Observe how my tongue is longer and more curved as I say "seet," creating a distinct sound that's different from the shorter, more closed pronunciation of "sit." This demonstrates the importance of paying attention to the shape and placement of our tongues when pronouncing words.

Now, let's move on to some minimal pairings where we can hear the differences between various sounds. We have "B" /b/ in "Ben," but a slightly different sound /ɛn/ in "bean." Similarly, there's a difference between /tɪn/ and /tiːn/, with the latter having a longer and more open pronunciation than the former. These contrasts are essential to recognize when trying to understand how words are pronounced.

Moving on, we have another set of pairs: "sleep" /slip/ versus "bit" /bɪt/. Listen carefully to hear the difference in these words. We also see variations with "beat" /biːt/, which has a longer and more open pronunciation than its counterpart. Additionally, there's a distinction between "each" /iːtʃ/ and "itch" /ɪtʃ/. The use of the letter combination can change the overall sound of words in English.

Next, we have some examples with the sounds in "heal" /hɪl/, "hit" /hɪt/, "heat" /hiːt/, and "ill" /ɪl/. In each case, the use of the letter combination affects the overall sound of the word. The letter "e" often creates a longer and more open pronunciation than the letters "i," which is particularly important when trying to understand the nuances of English spelling.

Now that you've had some practice with these tests and example sentences, let's examine some additional examples to reinforce your understanding. We'll focus on words like "chicks live in little Villages" and "eager Eddie eats Eagles every evening." Take note of how the repeated use of each sound affects the overall meaning of these phrases. These examples will help solidify your knowledge of the differences between e, e, and i in English pronunciation.

By exploring these different sounds and examining various word pairs, you're taking a crucial step towards understanding the complexities of English pronunciation. With practice and attention to detail, you'll become more confident in recognizing and reproducing these sounds accurately. In our next video, we'll delve into other aspects of English pronunciation, but for now, take some time to review what you've learned here and keep practicing those tricky e and i combinations!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin this video we're going to be learning about the differences in pronunciation between e and e e and e now you might be able to hear the difference but I'm going to let you see the difference with our first word sit I I sit now you can notice that my mouth is not moving a lot and my tongue is on the back of my teeth so I'm saying sit sit I'm almost pushing out a puff of air when I say it and my mouth is not moving I I let's practice together I I sit sit now the other sound e it's longer we can see with the word seat e e seat now now the difference between i and e is that while my tongue is still on the back of my teeth I have almost a smile a longer sound and I'm smiling seat seat so you can see the difference between sit and seat seat hopefully you can hear the difference as well as see the difference now let's look at some minimal pairings please listen carefully we have B B Ben bean bean chip chip cheap cheap fit fit feet feet his his is he's he's it it and eat eat now let's move on listen carefully we have slip slip sleep sleep bit bit beat beat itch itch each each Phil Phil feel feel hid hid heed heed now let's move on here's the next set please listen carefully hill hill heal heal hit hit heat heat ill ill eel eel Kip Kip keep keep pick pick Peak Peak now let's move on here's the last set listen carefully piss piss peace pece dip dip deep deep sick sick seek seek shill shill she she and beach beach now let's take a test and now it's time to practice with the test now don't worry I'm sure you'll do fine I'm going to say a word so please listen carefully I might say sit or seat I'm going to choose one word sit sit now which did you choose I bet you chose sit good now let's try our second word tin or teen te te teen I bet you chose teen good job let's try the third example slip or sleep sleep sleep I bet you chose sleep and that's the right answer next we have it or eat it it you're right I chose it and last we have his or he's he's he's I bet you chose he's now that you've had some time to practice let's look at some example sentences let's look at our first example sentence now this sentence focuses on the sound e e let's look at the first sentence chicks live in in little Villages let's say it together chicks live in little Villages chicks live in little Villages now our second sentence focuses on the sound e eager Eddie eat Eagles every evening let's say it together eager Eddy eats Eagles every evening eager Eddie eats Eagles every evening so now you've had practice with tests and example sentences I hope you know the difference between these two sounds see you next timein this video we're going to be learning about the differences in pronunciation between e and e e and e now you might be able to hear the difference but I'm going to let you see the difference with our first word sit I I sit now you can notice that my mouth is not moving a lot and my tongue is on the back of my teeth so I'm saying sit sit I'm almost pushing out a puff of air when I say it and my mouth is not moving I I let's practice together I I sit sit now the other sound e it's longer we can see with the word seat e e seat now now the difference between i and e is that while my tongue is still on the back of my teeth I have almost a smile a longer sound and I'm smiling seat seat so you can see the difference between sit and seat seat hopefully you can hear the difference as well as see the difference now let's look at some minimal pairings please listen carefully we have B B Ben bean bean chip chip cheap cheap fit fit feet feet his his is he's he's it it and eat eat now let's move on listen carefully we have slip slip sleep sleep bit bit beat beat itch itch each each Phil Phil feel feel hid hid heed heed now let's move on here's the next set please listen carefully hill hill heal heal hit hit heat heat ill ill eel eel Kip Kip keep keep pick pick Peak Peak now let's move on here's the last set listen carefully piss piss peace pece dip dip deep deep sick sick seek seek shill shill she she and beach beach now let's take a test and now it's time to practice with the test now don't worry I'm sure you'll do fine I'm going to say a word so please listen carefully I might say sit or seat I'm going to choose one word sit sit now which did you choose I bet you chose sit good now let's try our second word tin or teen te te teen I bet you chose teen good job let's try the third example slip or sleep sleep sleep I bet you chose sleep and that's the right answer next we have it or eat it it you're right I chose it and last we have his or he's he's he's I bet you chose he's now that you've had some time to practice let's look at some example sentences let's look at our first example sentence now this sentence focuses on the sound e e let's look at the first sentence chicks live in in little Villages let's say it together chicks live in little Villages chicks live in little Villages now our second sentence focuses on the sound e eager Eddie eat Eagles every evening let's say it together eager Eddy eats Eagles every evening eager Eddie eats Eagles every evening so now you've had practice with tests and example sentences I hope you know the difference between these two sounds see you next time\n"