The pronunciation of
the letter I in English

How do you pronounce the letter I in English?

The letter I has two main pronunciations in English: a short pronunciation and a long pronunciation. When a vowel has a "long" sound, it is pronounced like the letter's name. Listen to the difference between the short and long sounds of the letter I with the words in the table below. Click the link to hear the pronunciation.

Note: I am from the United States and my pronunciation is North American.

The pronunciation of the letter I in English
Long I sound	Short I sound
► /aI/	► /I/
► site	► sit
► while	► will
► style	► still
► dime	► dim
► pile	► pill
► height	► hit
► file	► fill
► white	► wit
► pine	► pin
► lied	► lid
► bite)	► bit
► mile	► mill

In the long-sounding words column, all of them end with a silent E or have a combination of vowels. When a word ends with a silent E, it causes the preceding vowel to be pronounced like the letter's name. Similarly, if a word contains a vowel combination, the first vowel "says its name." These pronunciation rules are explained in more detail on the Pronunciation Rules page.