Diphthong Sound /eɪ/

The /eɪ/ diphthong: from a mid e moving upward

The /eɪ/ starts in a mid-front position, close to the Spanish e, and glides up toward /ɪ/. In Spanish that vowel stays put; in English it has to move, and if it doesn't the word sounds wrong even when everything else is right.

How it's made

• 👄 Mouth: slightly open at the start, closing a little by the end.
• 👅 Tongue: forward and mid at the start, rising at the end.
• 🔊 Voice: voiced and long, with a smooth continuous close.

You hear it in: cake · brave · age · day · make

⚠️ The typical Spanish-speaker mistake: pronouncing it as a pure, motionless Spanish e, so cake comes out as quek and day as de.

By the end you'll be able to: add the final glide to every long-a word, like make and day.