Diphthong Sound /aɪ/

The /aɪ/ diphthong: from an open a into /ɪ/

A diphthong isn't a fixed vowel — it's a movement between two positions. The /aɪ/ starts with your mouth wide open and glides up and forward. In English the first element lasts far longer than the second, and that's exactly what separates it from the Spanish ai in aire.

How it's made

• 👄 Mouth: starts wide open and closes as the sound goes on.
• 👅 Tongue: low and central at the start, rising forward at the end.
• 🔊 Voice: voiced and long; the first element carries the weight, the second is barely brushed.

You hear it in: I · light · time · iron · I've

⚠️ The typical Spanish-speaker mistake: splitting the time evenly between the two halves, the way Spanish does. That chops the diphthong and makes time sound clipped instead of smooth.

By the end you'll be able to: hold the first part and let the second be nothing more than a quick close.