Sound Gym
six · sex · sick
Short /ɪ/ versus short /ɛ/, plus a final /s/ that changes the whole word — 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
plays as: “number six”
mouth shape
jaw LOWER, mouth wider open — /ɛ/ is lower and more open than /ɪ/
sex
/sɛks/
vowel length
plays as: “the opposite sex”
mouth shape
jaw UP, tongue HIGH — same short /ɪ/ as six — but ends in just /k/, no final /s/
sick
/sɪk/
vowel length
plays as: “I feel sick”
Key difference
For six and sick, your tongue is HIGH — almost touching the roof of your mouth, jaw up. Both share the same short /ɪ/. For sex, your jaw drops slightly and the vowel feels wider and more open — /ɛ/. Put your finger under your chin — you should feel it move DOWN only for sex. The other signal: six ends in a hissing /ks/ cluster, while sick stops cleanly at /k/ — no final /s/ at all.
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.
sick
Hear native speakers say “sick” 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.”
sick:“I feel sick today — I might stay home.”
sick:“She called in sick for the third day.”
Word families
six family ▸
sex family ▸
sick family ▸
Related pairs
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