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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:
|
Spelling |
|
Examples |
|
e |
|
be, he, me, she,
the, we, zero |
| |
|
|
|
ee |
|
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 |
| |
|
|
|
ea |
|
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* |
|
eke,
mete, scene, these, compete,
complete, concede, concrete,
convene,
discrete,
effete, mete, theme |
| |
|
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|
eeCe |
|
cheese,
fleece, freeze, peeve, sleeve |
| |
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|
eaCe |
|
breathe,
ease, eave, grease,
lease, peace, please, tease |
| |
|
|
|
ie |
|
belief,
chief, grief, lien, thief |
| |
|
|
|
ieCe |
|
achieve,
believe, niece, piece,
receive, relieve, reprieve, retrieve |
|
|
|
|
ei |
|
ceiling,
either*, neither* |
| |
|
|
|
eiCe |
|
conceive,
perceive, receive |
| |
|
|
|
i, iCe |
|
chic,
ski, machine |
| |
|
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|
* C = consonant |
____________________________________________
Special Notes:
| 1. |
|
The
words either and neither are also
pronounced
with the sound / ai / (the
vowel sound
in I, eye,
buy, sky,
and pie). |
| |
|
|
| 2. |
|
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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