Ship or sheep? The short /ɪ/ and the long /iː/

The rule

/ɪ/ is short and relaxed, with the mouth a little open: ship, live, fill, sit. /iː/ is long, with the lips spread as in a smile: sheep, leave, feel, seat.

Arabic has a short kasra and a long ي, but English /ɪ/ is not just a short /iː/: it is also more open and relaxed. French has only one /i/ sound. So learners often say leave for live, or seat for sit.

Examples

In a conversation

A: Please, sit here. This seat is free.

B: Thanks! Do you live near the station?

A: Yes, five minutes away. When does your train leave?

B: At six. I feel a bit tired today!

Practice

Choose the best answer. The answers are at the end of the lesson.

1. I ___ in a small flat near the university.
   • a) leave
   • b) live
   • c) life
2. Which word has a different vowel sound?
   • a) feel
   • b) meet
   • c) fit
3. Which word has the long /iː/ sound?
   • a) seat
   • b) sit
   • c) ship

Tip

Spelling helps: ee and ea usually give a long /iː/ (see, eat), and i between two consonants usually gives a short /ɪ/ (sit, big). Exceptions like police and machine have a long /iː/.

Answers

1. b) live. live (short /ɪ/) means have your home; leave means go away.
2. c) fit. fit has short /ɪ/; feel and meet have long /iː/.
3. a) seat. seat has long /iː/; sit and ship have short /ɪ/.

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