The MY Diphthong /aɪ/

One of the most common diphthongs in American English. Hear it in my, high, buy, sky.

IPA /aɪ/ Respell ahy Category Diphthong
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The /aɪ/ diphthong, the my sound, is a gliding two-part vowel Americans use in words like high, buy, sky, and time. Start with your jaw dropped wide open and your tongue resting low and flat, then glide the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth as your jaw closes halfway. The whole thing has to be one continuous motion. If you stop in the middle or cut it short, the word sounds chopped, which is the giveaway most non-native speakers don't know they're making.

How to make it

Three small adjustments.

Get them right and the sound takes care of itself.

Start with your jaw open wide and your tongue resting low and flat. Glide the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth as your jaw closes halfway.

First position of /aɪ/ in my
Second position of /aɪ/ in my

Mouth shape

/aɪ/ as in my

Jaw

Drops more in the first position, less in the second.

Tongue

Tip touches the back of the bottom front teeth for both positions. The tongue rests flat in the first position; the front arches up in the second position.

Hear it in words

16 everyday words.

Tap any word for its full breakdown — every reduction, every flap-T.

kind
KAHYND
time
TAHYM
like
LAHYK
light
LAHYT
write
RAHYT
bite
BAHYT
smile
SMAHYL
guide
GAHYD
white
WAHYT
twice
TWAHYS
pine
PAHYN
slide
SLAHYD
dry
DRAHY
guy
GAHY
tied
TAHYD
line
LAHYN
Hear it in sentences

In real conversation.

5 short sentences where this sound shows up. Tap to play; click the title for the full breakdown.

I like to ride my bike.

ahy LAHYK tuh RAHYD mahy BAHYK.

I tried to find the right time to sign the line.

ahy TRAHYD tuh FAHYND dhuh RAHYT TAHYM tuh SAHYN dhuh LAHYN.

The bright light in the sky was a nice surprise.

dhuh BRAHYT LAHYT ihn dhuh SKAHY wuhz uh NAHYS ser·PRAHYZ.

Nine minds combined to design the pipeline.

NAHYN MAHYNDZ kuhm·BAHYND tuh duh·ZAHYN dhuh PAHYP·lahyn.

She identified the wildflower using a guidebook.

shee ahy·DEHN·tuh·fahyd dhuh WAHYLD·flow·er YOO·zuhng uh GAHYD·buuk.
FAQ

Common questions about /aɪ/.

What is the easiest way to pronounce the /aɪ/ diphthong?
Start by dropping your jaw wide open, keeping the tip of your tongue against the back of your bottom front teeth. From that open position, smoothly close your jaw halfway while gliding the front of your tongue up toward the roof of your mouth. The trick is to blend these two shapes into one seamless movement. If you stop in the middle, it sounds like two separate vowels. Let the sound stretch out, especially at the end of words like sky or why.
Why does my pronunciation of the /aɪ/ diphthong sound choppy or unnatural?
Usually because the sound is being cut off too quickly, or split into two distinct pieces. /aɪ/ needs time to travel from the open starting position to the closed ending position. Speakers of languages with shorter, crisper vowels tend to rush this. The fix: deliberately slow the transition down. Words like time and try are one long slide, not two quick stops.
Does the /aɪ/ vowel change depending on the consonant after it?
Yes, the glide gets noticeably shorter before voiceless consonants like T, K, or P. Compare ride and write: the /aɪ/ in write is clipped and much faster. Before voiced consonants like D, or at the end of a word like fly, the vowel stretches out and the glide takes its time. It's a small length difference, but it's how Americans tell similar words apart, so it matters.

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