Decoding the letter I

The **letter I** (lowercase **i**, pronounced **/aɪ/**), as most vowel letters in English, has four main pronunciations:

* So-called “short i”, IPA phoneme /ɪ/, as in *kit, fit, fitting, city* or *mirror*
* So-called “long i”, IPA phoneme /aɪ/, as in *price*, *find*, *bite*, *biting*, *final* or *spiral*.
* Long "ir" monophtong (short vowel spelling), IPA phoneme /ɜː/, as in *girl*, *bird* or *stirring*
* Long "ir" triphthong (long vowel spelling), IPA sequence /aɪə/, as in *fire*, *hire* or *hiring*

I has also some less common pronunciations, sometimes in combination with other letters, and, of course, it can be used as schwa.

### At the beginning or the middle of a word

One syllable
* /ɪ/: big - bit - fill - fit - if - ill - in - inch - ink - inn - is - it - kill - kit - lick - live *(verb)* - print - quit - tip - wind *(noun)*
* /aɪ/: bind - blind - child - climb - find - grind - I - I'll - I'm - I've - kind - mild - mind - pint - wild - wind *(verb)*

Pattern vowel-consonant-vowel
A single consonant can mean anything, but a double consonant (or ck) means the sound is /ɪ/ (or /ə/) and not /aɪ/.

Several syllables
* /ɪ/: independent - input - insult - solid - until
* /aɪ/: behind - bible - idle - library - remind - rewind
* /ə/: compatible - council - pencil - recipe /ˈresəpɪ/

As a gerund

* /ɪ/: adding - going - playing - reading - studying

### At the end of a word

One syllable
* /aɪ/: hi; *Greek letters:* chi, phi, pi, psi, xi
* /iː/: ski; *Musical notes:* mi, si, ti

Several syllables
* /aɪ/: alibi, rabbi
* /iː/ or /ɪ/: bikini, broccoli, confetti, khaki, macaroni, origami, pepperoni, safari, spaghetti, sushi, taxi, tsunami, wiki, zucchini*AmE* (BrE courgette)
* /iː/: kiwi

## Combined with consonants

### igh

* /aɪ/: bright, fight, flight, high, knight, light, might, night, right, sigh, sight, slightly, tight

### ig

* "ig" as /aɪ/: align, assign, benign, design, malign, resign, sign

* "ig" as /ɪg/: ignore, signal, signature, significant

### ir

*See Decoding exercises: "ir"*

* /ɜː/: bird - birth - circle - dirty - firm - first - girl - shirt - sir - skirt - virtual
* /ɪ/: miracle - spirit
* /aɪ/: environment - irony - ironic - spiral - virus
* Sequence /aɪə/: acquire - fire - hire - inspire - iron /ˈaɪərn/ - require - retire - wire

irr
*See Decoding exercises: "irr"*

* /ɪ/: irrational - irregular - irritate - mirror - squirrel*BrE*
* /ɜː/: squirrel*AmE* - stirred - stirring

## Combined with a vowel

### With magic e

* /aɪ/: bike - fine - line - live *(adj.)* - wise

apologise/apologize - organise/organize - prioritise/prioritize - recognise/recognize
### With silent e

* /ɪ/: determine - discipline - engine - famine - imagine - indefinite - jasmine - live *(v.)* - medicine
* /iː/: Christine - elite - machine - magazine - marine - police - routine

### As /j/

* /jə/: behavior,*AmE* behaviour,*BrE* billion, Brazilian, brilliant, civilian, communion, companion, million, onion, opinion, Spaniard, union
* /iː.ə, jə/: auxiliary, billiards
* /iː.ə,*BrE* jə*AmE*/: Australian, convenience, familiar, genius, junior, magnolia, peculiar, pneumonia, senior

### ie

*Main article:* Decoding exercises: "ie"

* /iː/: achieve - believe - field - piece - series
* /aɪ/: die - lie - tie

* Unstressed final /iː/ or /ɪ/: movie

As a suffix to nouns or as a diminutive or familiar name (the same words can often be spelt **y**):
auntie/aunty - Bobbie/Bobby - caddie/caddy - hippie/hippy - hoodie/hoody - Jimmie/Jimmy - Johnnie/Johnny
### ia

*Main article:* Decoding exercises: "ia"

* /ɪ/: carriage, marriage
* /ə/: commercial, essential, initial, financial, official, parliament, potential, social, special

In different syllables
* /iːə/: appropriate - associate *(adj., n.)* - immediate - industrial - variable
* /iːeɪ/: appreciate - associate *(v.)*
* /iːɪ/: foliage /ˈfəʊliːɪdʒ/
* /iːæ/ Diana /daɪˈænə/ - Diane /daɪˈæn/

* /aɪə/: dialogue - dialog*AmE* - giant - trial

* /iːə/ or /aɪə/: via

## Homophones

*See main article Homophone.*

* bite - byte; die - dye; hi - high; I - eye; right - rite - write; sign - sine; site - sight; size - sighs; time - thyme;

## Heteronyms

/ɪ/ vs /aɪ/

* liver: internal organ - more live
* lives: third person of verb "live" - plural of "life"
* wind: air movement - to tighten a spring

## See also

* Decoding the letter Y
* Decoding and spelling exercises: /ɪ/ vs /aɪ/
* Decoding exercises: "ia"
* Decoding exercises: "ie"
* Decoding exercises: "io"
* Decoding exercises: "iu"
* Decoding exercises: "ir"
* Decoding exercises: "irr"
* Decoding exercises: "irV", "yrV", "irrV" and "yrrV"
* Decoding exercises: "ai"
* Decoding exercises: "ei"
* Decoding exercises: "oi"