Sound Gym
six · sex
Short /ɪ/ versus short /ɛ/ — getting these right avoids embarrassing mix-ups.
⚠️ Common mistake
This is one of the most common mistakes Spanish speakers make. Confusing these words can cause serious embarrassment. Practice carefully!
mouth shape
jaw UP, tongue HIGH — short relaxed /ɪ/ before the x
six
/sɪks/
vowel length
mouth shape
jaw LOWER, mouth wider open — /ɛ/ is lower and more open than /ɪ/
sex
/sɛks/
vowel length
Key difference
For six, your tongue is HIGH — almost touching the roof of your mouth, jaw up. For sex, your jaw drops slightly and the vowel feels wider and more open. Put your finger under your chin — you should feel it move DOWN for sex.
Hear it in a sentence
“The team scored six goals in the second half of the match.”
“The form asked for name, date of birth, and sex.”
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.
six
Hear native speakers say “six” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
sex
Hear native speakers say “sex” 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
Example sentences
six:“I need six copies of this document.”
sex:“The form asks for your sex: male or female.”
Word families
six family ▸
sex family ▸
Related pairs
Comments
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