The Short /ɪ/ Sound

Like the vowel in ‘it’, ‘him’, ‘big’ — tongue high, mouth nearly closed, short and clipped.

The short /ɪ/ vowel

Like the vowel in it, him, big, give, live — tongue high and forward, mouth nearly closed, very short and clipped.

Tongue position

High — near the roof of the mouth

Lips

Slightly spread — not rounded

Length

Short and clipped — do not hold it

Common spellings

i · y · ui (build) · e (England)

/sɪt/ — short /ɪ/

to rest with your weight on your bottom — 'sit down' · 'sit still' · 'sit an exam' (British: take a test)

/bɪn/ — short /ɪ/

a container for rubbish or recycling — 'bin it' (throw it away) · 'wheelie bin' · 'recycling bin'

/pɪn/ — short /ɪ/

a thin pointed metal object; OR a personal identification number (PIN) — 'pin it up' · 'hair pin' · 'safety pin'

/tɪn/ — short /ɪ/

a metal container for food; OR the metal itself — 'a tin of beans' · 'tin foil' · 'tin opener'

/sɪks/ — short /ɪ/

the number 6 — 'six o'clock' · 'six of one, half dozen of the other' (idiom: makes no difference)

/kɪt/ — short /ɪ/

a set of tools, equipment, or clothing for a specific purpose — 'first aid kit' · 'gym kit' · 'kit out' (equip fully)

More words with short /ɪ/

Short /ɪ/ vs long /iː/ — a crucial contrast

Short /ɪ/ — clipped

sit /sɪt/ · bit /bɪt/

fill /fɪl/ · mill /mɪl/

bin /bɪn/ · pin /pɪn/

Long /iː/ — held

seat /siːt/ · beat /biːt/

feel /fiːl/ · meal /miːl/

bean /biːn/ · keen /kiːn/

Hold your finger under your chin — it drops more for /iː/ than for /ɪ/. The /ɪ/ is faster and less tense.

Hear it in a sentence

“The cat sits in the same spot on the windowsill every afternoon.”

“She tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin by the door.”

“He lost a safety pin somewhere in the carpet.”

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.

sit

Hear native speakers say “sit” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.