Pronunciation of "i"

It's not easy to find a rule that will help English language learners to know how to pronounce the letter "i".

We will talk here about the letter "i" alone, not about the letter "i" in combination with other vowels, like "ai", "ei", "ie", etc.


There are basically three ways to pronounce the "i". (I still haven't found out how to write phonetically... )


1) /e/ : first, third, bird, girl, Sir, circle, circus


2) /i/  : syllable "ing": finger, ring, hinge

           syllable "ill"   : ill, hill, mill, fill

           syllable "in"  : chin, bin, spin, input

           syllable "ick"  :lick, thick

           syllable "ing"  :string, walking, thing

           syllable "iss" :  miss, hiss,

           syllable "ish" : fish

           syllable "it"   :  fit, knit     

           syllable "ink" : wink, link   
                


3) /ai/   syllabe "ike"   like, bike
 
           syllable "ine"  line, wine, shine

           syllable "ife"    life, wife, stripe

           syllable  "ide"  wide, stride, hide

           syllable "ight"  fight, light
 
           syllable "ile"    while, mile

           syllable "ite"    to write, kite
  
           syllable "ire"    to fire, hire, tired

            

            
4)  /ai/  or  /i/              

a. syllable "ice"
 /ai/ ice, price             
 /i/   notice, novice

If the word stress is on the syllable, it is pronounced /ai/, otherwise it is /i/.


b. syllable "ise"
/ai/  to rise
/i/    to promise

If the word stress is on the syllable, it is pronounced /ai/, otherwise it is /i/.

c. syllable "i"
/ai/   ivy, ivory,item
/i/     imagination


d.  syllable  "ive"
/ai/   five, jive
/i/     to live


e. syllable "ind"
/ai/ to find, blind, kind
/i/   the wind


f.  syllable "is"
/ai/  island
/i/    Islam


g. syllable consonant + i

/ai/  microscope, fibre, migrants, 
/i/    liver, pigeons, litre, liberation, miracle