This multiplicity of spellings applies especially to the vowel sounds.
“Long E” is the vowel sound represented by the e in me.
This “long e” sound can also be represented by five other phonograms:
ee
Achilles was wounded in his heel.
The “double e” spelling ee always represents the “long e” sound: see, kneel, feel, tee (golf term).
ea
Physician, heal thyself.
“Long e” is the most common sound represented by ea: read, zeal, appeal, deal, meal, real. (The spelling ea can also represent two other vowel sounds.)
ei
That man is filled with conceit.
This ei spelling for “long e” occurs in words in which the ei follows the letter c: ceiling, conceit, perceive, receipt, receive. (There’s a rule that often helps: “i before e except after c…”)
ie
Let’s plant oats in that field.
“Long e” is spelled ie in several common words: believe, belief, brief, chief, field, niece, priest, siege, achieve, piece.
ey
Follett wrote The Key to Rebecca.
The ey spelling for “long e” is not common in one-syllable words. Key is the only one I can think of. The phonogram ey to represent “long e” does appear at the end of two-syllable words like valley, alley, and galley. (The spelling ey more often represents the “long a” sound, as in they.)
It’s too bad that we have so many ways to spell the “long e” sound, but it’s probably too late to do anything about it–other than learn the variants.
Stacey and Mrs C's groups: week 6 Check this out! What game could you make using this page?
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