Native speaker here, from the Ozarks (US, on the Missouri/Arkansas border). I can't hear the distinction between "pin" and "pen" unless I'm really paying atten

Native speaker here, from the Ozarks (US, on the Missouri/Arkansas border). I can't hear the distinction between "pin" and "pen" unless I'm really paying attention. Even then I have to say it a dozen or so time before I can make myself say them distinctively. My birth accent is to pronounce them both mostly like "pin".