/eɪ/

The /eɪ/ is a diphthong - a vowel that glides smoothly from one position to another. Your mouth changes shape as you produce this single sound.

1. Start position: Open your mouth slightly with your lips gently spread, not rounded. Your tongue sits in the mid-front area of your mouth, with the tip resting behind your lower front teeth. This is similar to the vowel in "bed" but slightly higher.

2. Glide movement: As you voice the sound, your jaw gradually closes while your tongue arches upward toward the roof of your mouth.

3. End position: Finish with your mouth more closed and your tongue high and forward - approaching the short /ɪ/ position as in "bit."

Keep your lips unrounded throughout the entire sound. The movement should be smooth and continuous, not two separate sounds.

This sound appears in several spelling patterns:

• a + consonant + e: "make," "late," "same," "face"
• ay: "day," "say," "play," "away"
• ai: "rain," "wait," "main," "paint"
• ey: "they," "grey," "obey"
• ei: "vein," "weigh," "eight"

Think of this sound as a journey from "eh" to "ee" - but make it one connected glide, not two choppy sounds. If you stop too early, "mate" might sound closer to "met." Practice by slightly exaggerating the upward tongue movement at first: really feel your jaw close and tongue rise toward the end of the sound.