Key tips:

1. /i/ and /ɪ/ are different phonemes in English. If you mix them up, you can change the meaning of the word.
2. /i/ and /ɪ/ are sometimes called "long i" and "short i" but the difference is not one of duration (length), but of the tenseness of the tongue. Sometimes "long i" can be shorter than "short i"
3. Russian speakers are likely to have more trouble pronouncing /ɪ/ comprehensibly than /i/

Common spelling patterns

_i_: kit, this, winner, give

_ui_: guilty, building

_y_: system, gym, symbol

_CC: kitty, innocent, bitten, winter

Exception:

The word been uses /ɪ/ or /ɛ/ in American English but /i/ in British English

The word women has /ɪ/ as the first vowel

Exercises

Pronounce the material in these exercises out loud, slowly and accurately. Make sure to clearly enunciate the sound. When it becomes easier at the speed you’re at, increase the speed. Remember: don’t sacrifice accuracy for speed!

Word lists

/ɪ/ :

it, is, in, if, its, with, this, his, him, which, big, did, live, give, think, list, little, still, children, city, system, business, within, women, history, different, interest, since, political, civil, million, film, building, including

"-itt-" this spelling pattern often represents /ɪ/:
Bitten, mitten, sitting, hitting, spitting, smitten, written, kitty

Contrastive pairs ɪ/i

leave/live, leaf/lift, sit/seat, seek/sick, beet/bit, meet/mitt, kitty/Keating, feet/fit, sheep/ship, Pete/pit, list/least, bean/bin, feel/fill, steal/still, each/itch, he’s/his, slip/sleep, cheap/chip, deal/dill, feel/fill, mill/meal, seal/sill, real/rill, keel/kill, pill/peel, heal/hill

Phrases

/ɪ/:

fish sticks, spring picnic, a little bit, sit in, drink milk, big city, a quick hint, fish and chips, so it begins, children’s film, this thing, little kittens, kindred spirits, witnessing it, mixed tricks, it's lit, innocent kid, winter trip, hit it!

/ɪ/ vs /i/:

still asleep, no big deal, very ill, these things, feeling ill, see a film, is she, it's me, just beat it, very filling

Sentences

/ɪ/:

1. Tim is visiting Berlin with his big sister Cynthia

2. Quitting drinking was difficult for him in the beginning

3. Jim Smith had to sit in an informal interview

4. The history of cities in the middle ages is interesting

5. Is it Phil who is visiting for dinner?

6. Cindy and Hilda are busy women but they manage to keep fit

/ɪ/ vs /i/:

/ɪ/ is underlined while /i/ is bolded

1. In this city they eat such little meat, not including beef, chicken or fish.

2. It's a pity that Pete had to sit out and didn’t even compete

3. Hilda was last seen leaving the city and going to the village inn

4. Eating the minty sweets lifts my spirits but leaves a weird steel aftertaste

5. I hid in the pit so the alligator didn’t see me

6. I couldn’t eat the beans anymore so I threw the tin into the bin

7. I had to deal with Bill feeling really ill

8. The VC pitch deck was for a product called Mississippi peach willow tea.

Ingrid the Ichthyosaur

Once upon a time, in a beautiful forest, there lived a tiny, timid creature named Ingrid. Ingrid was an ichthyosaur, a prehistoric creature that resembled a fish with legs. She was a timid creature, who spent most of her time hiding in the caves and crevices of the forest. Ingrid's timid nature was caused by her sensitivity to the bright sunlight, which would cause her skin to itch and irritate her eyes.

One day, while Ingrid was exploring the forest, she came across a beautiful, sparkling river. The river was filled with fish and other aquatic creatures, and Ingrid was fascinated by the sights and sounds of the water. She longed to swim in the river, but she was too afraid. She knew that the bright sunlight would cause her skin to itch and her eyes to water.

Despite her fear, Ingrid decided to take a dip in the river. She slowly made her way into the water, and as she did, she noticed that the sunlight was not as bright as she had expected. In fact, the sunlight was filtered through the trees, and it was much more gentle than she had imagined. Ingrid was relieved, and she began to swim and play in the river.

As Ingrid swam, she noticed that the water was filled with little fish that had a brilliant iridescent sheen to them. She chased the fish and splashed around, having the time of her life. She noticed that the fish were not afraid of her, they even came up to her and nibbled at her fins playfully.

Ingrid enjoyed her time in the river so much that she decided to make it her permanent home. She built herself a little nest in a cave near the river, where she could stay out of the sun during the day and swim in the river at night. From that day on, Ingrid lived happily in her little nest by the river, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the water, and playing with the fish that swam in the river.

Ingrid's friends, who were other ichtthyosaur's in the forest, were surprised and amazed by Ingrid's change. They had never seen her so happy and content, and they began to visit her by the river to see the fish and learn how to swim. They too, found that the water was not as scary as they had thought, and they started to enjoy the water too.

Ingrid's story spread throughout the forest, and soon, many creatures came to visit her by the river to see the fish and learn how to swim. Ingrid became known as the "swimming ichtthyosaur", and she was loved by all who knew her. The forest was filled with laughter and joy, and Ingrid was the happiest she had ever been.

From that day on, the river was known as the "Ingrid river" and it was a place of joy and wonder for all the creatures of the forest. Ingrid's story is a reminder to all of us that sometimes, the things that scare us the most, can turn out to be the most wonderful things in our lives.