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


 * 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 (BrE courgette)
 * /iː/: kiwi

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" See Decoding exercises: "irr"
 * /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
 * /ɪ/: irrational - irregular - irritate - mirror - squirrel
 * /ɜː/: squirrel - stirred - stirring

Silent i

 * business

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, behaviour, billion, Brazilian, brilliant, civilian, communion, companion, million, onion, opinion, Spaniard, union
 * /iː.ə, jə/: auxiliary, billiards
 * /iː.ə, jə/: 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 - 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