ACCENT TUTOR ONLINE

                        AMERICAN ENGLISH SPEECH

                                    VOWEL SOUNDS

                                   

AI                         

 

The AI sound starts with the A (“ah”) sound and moves into an EE sound.  The key is to make sure you this sound ends with the tense EE (“ah--ee”).  If you don’t, it sounds like “ah.” AI sounds like the name of the letter “i.”

 

Instructions to make this sound: Can you hear two sounds?  The AI sound moves from an A sound to an EE sound.

 

Common problems: Not pronouncing the EE at the end of this sound, so “I’ll” sounds like “all.”

 

Common spellings: AI as in “Thailand,” EIGH as in “height,” I as in “item,” IE as in “pie,” IGH as in “high,” O as in “coyote,” UI as in “guide,” Y as in “fly”

 

I                                               I like pie                    

eyes                                       my tired eyes                      

night                                      Friday night            

while                                      while filing               

good-bye                              why say good-bye

 

Mike is trying to write about sky diving.                      

The airline strike isolated the entire island.