Vowel Sounds — Short and Long
A1 · Sounds · Short vs long vowels: ship / sheep · bit / beat · full / fool
English vowels come in two lengths — short and quick, or long and stretched — and the length alone can change the word. Ship and sheep differ only in the vowel. Train the contrast here and hundreds of words become clearer.
Step 1 — Notice
- Short /ɪ/ as in ship and bit: quick, relaxed, tongue loose.
- Long /iː/ as in sheep and beat: stretch it and smile slightly — sheeep.
- Short /ʊ/ as in full and book: short and rounded.
- Long /uː/ as in fool and pool: hold it, lips rounded — foool.
Step 2 — Listen
AI-generated American voice. Natural first, then slow. Listen as many times as you need.
ship
Short and quick — /ɪ/.
sheep
Stretch the vowel — /iː/.
bit
Short — /ɪ/.
beat
Long — /iː/.
full
Short — /ʊ/.
fool
Long — /uː/.
The sheep is on the ship.
Both sounds in one sentence — hear the stretch on 'sheep'.
Ear Training — Which Word Did You Hear?
Play the word, then choose what you heard. After you answer, hear both words and compare.
Step 4 — Repeat & Record
Say each model out loud, right after the voice. Then record yourself saying the target line: ship
Record yourself, play it back, and compare with the model. Recordings stay in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Step 5 — Compare & Self-Check
Play your recording from Step 4. Then play the model again. No scores — just honest ears. Tick what you truly did:
Step 6 — Shadow
The text starts hidden. Listen first, then reveal it, then speak with the voice — same rhythm, half a second behind.
The sheep is on the big ship.
Please sit in this seat.
Practice Quiz
Keep going
🇺🇸 Real American Listening — hear it in real conversation🎙️ Speaking Studio — use your voice in dialogues🌱 Vocabulary Builder — words with pronunciation🔗 Phrasal Verbs Lab📚 Graded Stories — shadow a storyA1 — all lessons · Next: Consonant Sounds — Voiced and Voiceless →
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