Short vowels i, o and u: how to say /ɪ/, /ɑ/ and /ʌ/
Short answer: The letter i in sit says /ɪ/, a short, relaxed sound. The letter o in hot says /ɑ/ in General American, with the mouth open and the lips not rounded. The letter u in cup says /ʌ/, a short, central sound. Practice them with words such as pig, dog and sun.
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At a glance
| Letter | Sound | Mouth | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| i | /ɪ/ | relaxed, small opening | pig, sit, fin |
| o | /ɑ/ | open, lips not rounded | dog, hot, top |
| u | /ʌ/ | relaxed, middle | sun, cup, bus |
How to make the sound
- Say /ɪ/ with a relaxed smile, as in sit.
- Open your mouth and say /ɑ/ as in hot. Do not round the lips.
- Say /ʌ/ with a short, relaxed sound, as in cup.
- Practice pairs: sit – set, hot – hat, cup – cap.
Examples in sentences
- pig
/ɪ/: /pɪg/. - sit
/ɪ/: /sɪt/. - dog
/ɔ/ or /ɑ/ in some accents: /dɔg/. - hot
/ɑ/: /hɑt/. - sun
/ʌ/: /sʌn/. - cup
/ʌ/: /kʌp/.
Common problems
- Making i too long: sit is not seat. Keep /ɪ/ short.
- Rounding the lips for o: In General American, hot has an open, unrounded /ɑ/.
- Saying u like a long oo: cup has /ʌ/, not /u/. Keep it short and relaxed.
For Vietnamese speakers
- Vietnamese learners may hear /ɪ/ and /i/ as the same. Compare sit and seat.
- Practice /ʌ/ and /ɑ/ as a pair: cup and cop.
Check yourself
- Which vowel is in “sit”?
Show the answer
/ɪ/ Short and relaxed.
- Which vowel is in “sun”?
Show the answer
/ʌ/ Short, central.
- Which vowel is in “hot”?
Show the answer
/ɑ/ Open mouth.
Questions
Is the o in dog the same as in hot?
In many American accents they are close. This course keeps /ɑ/ for hot and /ɔ/ for dog.
Why is /ɪ/ hard?
It is shorter and more relaxed than /i/. Compare sit and seat.
Are these always spelled i, o, u?
No. Other spellings give the same sound, but these are the common ones.
More lessons in this part
Part of the 👄 Pronunciation tool: Phonics & Word Decoding. See also the English pronunciation guide. Đọc bằng tiếng Việt.
Written for English learners by the English for Fun team. How we write our lessons · Last updated 2026-11-05.
Reviewed by Chinh Q. Hoang, PhD, founder, English for Fun · 2026-10-30