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Many languages have a sound like the English / iy / sound
(the vowel sound in beat or beet). In languages that use
Roman (Latin) letters, this sound is often shown by the
letter i. In English, however, this sound is spelled in many
different ways.
Here are some common ones:
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Spelling
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Examples |
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e
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be, he, me, she, the, we, zero |
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ee
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agree, bee, beet, bleed, breed, deed,
deep, fee, feed, feel, feet, flee, fleet,
foresee, glee, green, greet, heel, knee,
meet, need, peek, peel, peep, preen,
queen, reed, reek, reel, see, seed, seek,
seem, seen, seep, screen, sheep, sleet,
speech, speed, steel, steep, tee, teem,
teen, wheel |
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ea
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bead, beak, beam, bean, beast, beat,
bleat, cheat, clean, cleat, cream,
dream, feast, feat, freak, gleam, heal,
heap, heat, knead, lean, leap, least,
meal, mean, meat, neat, pea, peak,
peal, peat, read, real, sea, seal, seam,
scream, sheath, steal, steam, stream,
tea, teak, team, veal |
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eCe*
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eke, mete, scene, these, compete,
complete, concede, concrete, convene,
discrete, effete, mete, theme |
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eeCe
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cheese, fleece, freeze, peeve, sleeve |
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eaCe
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breathe, ease, eave, grease,
lease, peace, please, tease |
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ie
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belief, chief, grief, lien, thief |
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ieCe
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achieve, believe, niece, piece,
receive, relieve, reprieve, retrieve |
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ei
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ceiling, either*, neither* |
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eiCe
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conceive, perceive, receive |
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i, iCe
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chic, ski, machine |
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* C = consonant
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Special Notes:
| 1. |
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The words either and neither are also
pronounced with the sound / ai / (the
vowel sound in I, eye, buy, sky, and pie). |
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| 2. |
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Be careful!
Many words have the same sound, but
different spellings and meanings.
Examples:
bee / bee;
beat / beet;
feat / feet;
knead / need;
lean / lien;
meat / meet / mete;
peak / peek / pique;
peal / peel;
real / reel;
sea / see;
seam / seem;
scene / seen;
steal / steel
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