pronouncekit

Phonetics

The sounds of English, mapped.

Choose British or American English, select any vowel or consonant, and explore examples, articulation, airflow, and practice guidance.

Pronunciation model

Vowels

Consonants

i

American English

Reference words

seehappymachine

Mouth & tongue

Enable JavaScript to view the 3D panda. Pronunciation steps remain available below.

Vocal folds: vibrating

TongueTeethUvula

Simplified human pronunciation. The small uvula hangs from the palate; it is not the vocal folds. The wave indicates voicing.

Voice settings

The mouth starts slightly open. Movement is slowed for observation; the synthetic sound plays once at its original speed. Pause holds the current mouth shape; reset returns to the relaxed position. The panda is a symbolic teaching aid for human pronunciation, not animal anatomy.

Classification & practice guide

Full classification

/i/ · monophthong · close · front · unrounded

monophthongvoiced

How to pronounce

Keep the front of the tongue raised toward the hard palate. Keep the lips neutral or lightly spread. Keep one stable vowel quality without adding a glide; its exact duration changes with context.

Let the vocal folds vibrate; touch your throat to feel the buzz.

Practice tips

  • Say the first reference word slowly, then at a natural pace.
  • Use the animation as a movement cue, not an exact anatomical model.
  • Compare the sound with a neighboring card and keep the rest of the word unchanged.

References & notation

This learning chart separates a 44-category contemporary British teaching model from a 41-category broad General American model. Real accents vary: mergers such as cot–caught change some inventories, and broad symbols do not show every phonetic detail.

The International Phonetic Association defines the symbols; Cambridge provides current British and American word pronunciations. The two tabs are broad teaching models, not exhaustive transcriptions of every regional or individual accent.