In this American English pronunciation video, we’re going to go over the difference in
the words ‘six’ and ‘sex’.
This minimal pair has only one different sound, and it’s the vowel sound. Since ‘sex’
can be a sensitive word, this is probably a minimal pair you'll want to master. Thanks
so much for the suggestion.
The two vowel sounds are the IH as in SIT vowel and the EH as in BED vowel. For the
EH vowel, like in ‘sex’, the jaw drops more. The tongue tip is forward and down,
lightly touching the back of the bottom front teeth. The front/middle part lifts towards
the roof of the mouth. And the middle of the tongue should be wider as it lifts.
The IH vowel, like in ‘six’, has less jaw drop. The tip is in the same place, but
the front part arches up towards the roof of the mouth. The tongue is closer to the
roof of the mouth in this vowel. Let’s take a look at a picture comparing the sounds.
Notice how the jaw is more dropped for the EH vowel, like in ‘sex’. The tongue is
closer to the roof of the mouth for the IH vowel, like in ‘six’.
Practice with me. EH, IH, EH, IH.
Now let’s look at the two words up close and in slow motion.
The corners of the mouth pull wide for the S. The jaw drops more for EH, in ‘sex’.
The front part lifts towards the roof of the mouth for the IH vowel in ‘six’.
Again from the front. Compare the jaw drop.
Six, sex. I hope this video has made the difference in these two words clear. If there’s a word
comparison you’d like to see, put it in the comments below.
Also, I’m very excited to tell you that my book is now on sale. If you liked this
video, there’s a lot more to learn about American English pronunciation, and my book
will help you step by step. You can get it by clicking here, or in the description below.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.