The table below lists pairs of related words. Those in the left column have a letter <i> or <y> which represents the vowel aɪ. In the related word in the right column the vowel represented is ɪ. There are many more pairs of words like this.
Notice that the vowel alternations in these pairs are not triggered by differences in stress. The alternating vowels are always in the syllable which bears the main stress of the word.
| aɪ | ɪ |
| apply | applicable |
| bile | bilious |
| child | children |
| Christ | Christmas |
| conspire | conspiracy |
| crime | criminal |
| cycle | cyclical |
| decisive | decision |
| define | definitive |
| despise | despicable |
| divide | divisible |
| divine | divinity |
| ignite | ignition |
| line | lineage |
| malign | malignant |
| precise | precision |
| private | privacy |
| rite | ritual |
| sign | signature |
| type | typical |
| vice | vicious |
| vile | vilify |
| wild | wilderness |
| wise | wisdom |
Note:
applicable can be pronounced as əˈplɪkəbl or ˈæplɪkəbl
cyclical can be pronounced as ˈsɪklɪkl or ˈsaɪklɪkl
privacy can be pronounced as ˈprɪvəsi or ˈpraɪvəsi
Thanks to Petr Rösel for comments on this tip.
2014_04_02
Updated: 2014_05_04