The sound in "yet"

/j/

/j/, the sound at the begining of "yet", is made by putting your tongue very close to the top of your mouth, as if you are getting ready to say the vowel /i/. That is why this consonant sound is often pron ounced between certain vowel sounds.

Say the phrase "why he" quickly. Native speakers of American English would often pronounce this phrase as "whyje" (/waIji/). Even though it is not spelled that way, we pronounce a /j/ between the /a I/ and /i/ vowels.

Now let's listen to some sounds!

/j/ sounds:

• yet
• you
• he is (/hiyIz/)
• why he (/waIji/)