Minimal pairs · ɪ · iː
ship or sheep
The short i and the long ee — the most famous pair in English teaching. Russian and Spanish each have a single i, so the two merge.
Hard for Russian and Spanish speakers
Press play, then tap the word you heard.
How to teach the mouth
Length is the clue: sheep takes twice as long to say as ship. Stretch your arms wide for the long sound and pinch fingers for the short one.