The language has a partially reduced system, compared to proto-Edoid, of eight vowels; these form two harmonic sets, /i e a o u/ and /i ɛ a ɔ ʊ/.[1]
Epie has only one clearly phonemic nasal stop, /m/; [n] alternates with [l], depending on whether the following vowel is oral or nasal. (The other approximants, /j ɣ w/, are also nasalized in this position: see Edo language for a similar situation.) The inventory is:[2]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labio-velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | ||||
| Implosive | ɓ | ɗ | |||
| Plosive | p b | t d | k ɡ | k͡p ɡ͡b | |
| Fricative | f v | s z | |||
| Trill | (r) | ||||
| Approximant | l [n] | j | ɣ | w |