Did I hear seat or sit?


A common mistake Spanish speakers make when learning English is the incorrect pronunciation of the vowels sound /iː/ and /ɪ/. In English, these two phonemes are clearly different, but in Spanish there is only one similar vowel sound, /i/. As a result, many learners struggle to recognize and produce the contrast between the long and short sounds in English.

Look the following comparison:

Although these sounds are similar, each one is produced slightly differently. For example:

  • /i/ (Spanish): The front of the tongue is positioned high in the mouth, close to the hard palate.
  • /iː/ (English): The front of the tongue is raised to a position near fully close and fully front. The lips are spread.
  •  /ɪ/ (English): The tongue is slightly lower and more central than for /iː/. This vowel is short and lax.
When Spanish speakers hear words like field and filled, or other minimal pairs, they often do not recognize the differences between the sound /iː/ or /ɪ/. This is because Spanish does not distinguish between lax and tense vowel, so Spanish learners are not familiar with this contrast in their mother tongue. 

Watch these two videos, they will help you better understand how to pronounce these sounds.


LET'S PRACTICE!

In order to correct these mistakes, the following exercises are provided. Please read the instructions carefully.

EXERCISE 1
Instructions: Below you will find 10 exercises, each with a pair of words. Play the audio and listen carefully, then repeat the words aloud to help you notice the pronunciation. Choose the correct option in each pair, select the pair that matches what you hear.

Choose the correct option in each pair. Which pair do you hear? You may repeat. 


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EXERCISE 2

Instructions: Below are 10 exercises. For each word, choose the correct phoneme. Try to pronounce the word on your own first, this will help you select the right answer. Once you have made all your choices, click Check Answers. You will immediately see whether your answers are correct or incorrect. In the end, the correct phonetic transcription of the words will be provided. This will help you improve your pronunciation and recognize the correct phonetic sound for each word.

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