A tall, thin, straight blue pillar standing on a simple background, with a small, perfectly round red sphere floating directly above its center, symbolizing the structure of the letter 'i'.

i

/ee/

NounfA1

i?The letter of the alphabet.

Also:the vowel 'i'?Referring to the sound.

📝 In Action

La palabra 'isla' empieza con la letra i.

The word 'isla' (island) begins with the letter i.

En español, la 'i' siempre suena como la 'ee' en la palabra inglesa 'see'.

In Spanish, the 'i' always sounds like the 'ee' in the English word 'see'.

Para escribir mi nombre, necesitas una 'i' y dos 'a'.

To write my name, you need an 'i' and two 'a's.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

el punto sobre la i – the dot on the i

Idioms & Expressions

poner los puntos sobre las íes – To make things crystal clear, to clarify all the details.

💡 Grammar Points

Gender of Letters

In Spanish, all the letters of the alphabet are considered feminine. So you would say 'la i' (the i), not 'el i'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Pronunciation vs. English 'I'

Mistake: "Pronouncing 'i' like the 'i' in the English word 'ice' or 'hi'."

Correction: The Spanish 'i' always has a pure 'ee' sound, like in 'machine' or 'feet'. It never changes.

⭐ Usage Tips

The 'i latina'

To avoid confusion with the letter 'y' (which is called 'i griega' or 'ye'), Spanish speakers might call this letter 'i latina' (Latin 'i'). You'll hear this when someone is spelling a word out loud.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: i

Question 1 of 1

How would you ask someone to spell a word with the letter 'i' in it?

📚 More Resources

Words that Rhyme with i

sí aquí así mí

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'i' and 'y' in Spanish?

The letter 'i' (called 'i latina') is always a vowel with a pure 'ee' sound. The letter 'y' (called 'i griega' or 'ye') can act as a vowel sounding like 'i' (like in the word 'y' for 'and'), or as a consonant sounding like the 'y' in 'yes' (like in the word 'yo').

Is 'i' ever used to mean 'and'?

No, never. The word for 'and' is 'y' (e.g., 'perros y gatos'). That 'y' changes to an 'e' if the next word starts with an 'i-' or 'hi-' sound (e.g., 'padre e hijo'), but the letter 'i' itself is never used as a word for 'and'.