⚠️ Three related words, three sounds — life, and live (which has TWO pronunciations)
/laɪf/
life — noun
/lɪv/
live — verb
/laɪv/
live — adjective
life and the adjective live (‘a live show’) share the same /aɪ/ diphthong — only the last sound differs, voiceless /f/ vs voiced /v/. The verb live (‘I live here’) is spelled identically to the adjective but uses a completely different, short /ɪ/ vowel instead.
noun — existence itself, or the period between birth and death — 'that's life' · 'my life story' · 'wildlife'
mouth shape
mouth opens wide ('ah') then glides up — diphthong /aɪ/, same as the adjective live below — but ends voiceless: breathe out, no buzz in the throat
life
/laɪf/
vowel length
verb — 'Where do you live?' · ends with the voiced /v/ sound
mouth shape
lips relaxed, quick short /ɪ/ — like 'sit', 'bit', 'give'
live
/lɪv/
vowel length
plays as: “where do you live”
adjective — 'a live concert' · also ends with /v/, but the vowel is completely different
mouth shape
mouth opens wide ('ah') then glides up — diphthong /aɪ/ like 'my', 'sky', 'time'
live
/laɪv/
vowel length
plays as: “a live concert”
How to tell them apart
The throat-buzz test
Put your fingers on your throat and say ‘li-f’ then ‘li-v’. life ends with a breath, no buzz. live ends with your throat buzzing (voiced /v/). Same vowel, different ending only.
The grammar-position test
If it comes right after a subject and needs no noun after it (‘I live here’), it’s the verb — short /lɪv/. If it sits right before a noun, describing it (‘a live show’), it’s the adjective — long /laɪv/, same vowel as life.
Example sentences
life /laɪf/:“That’s just life.”
verb /lɪv/:“I live in London.”
verb /lɪv/:“Where do you live?”
adj /laɪv/:“This is a live show.”
adj /laɪv/:“We watched the concert live.”
Hear it in a sentence
“She chose to live abroad for a few years before returning home.”
“It was a live concert, broadcast to an audience of two million.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
life
Hear native speakers say “life” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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live
Hear native speakers say “live” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
life family ▸
live (verb) family ▸
live (adjective) family ▸
Related pairs
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