ee In Standard German
The letter combination "ee" mainly represents a long vowel sound in German, especially /eː/. It is a relatively stable spelling for a long "e" sound in native words and some proper names.
Letter Combination | ee |
|---|---|
Name | ee (pronounced /eː eː/) |
Common Sound(s) | /eː/, /iː/ |
The Letter Combination "ee"
Sound 1: /eː/
In most native German words, "ee" represents a long /eː/ sound.
Tee → /teː/
tea
Idee → /iˈdeː/
idea
Sound 2: /iː/ (English loanwords)
In many English loanwords, "ee" is pronounced /iː/, reflecting English pronunciation patterns.
Speed → /spiːt/
Speed
Weekend → /ˈwiːkɛnt/
Weekend
Sound 3: /i/
In a few cases, especially in less stressed loanwords, "ee" can be reduced to a short /i/ sound.
Coffee → /ˈkɔfi/
coffee
Note: Morphological boundaries (not true "ee" combinations)
In some words, the letters "e" + "e" do not form a single letter combination because they belong to different parts of the word (prefix + stem or compound boundary). In these cases, pronunciation follows normal syllable rules.
beenden → /bəˈʔɛndn̩/
to end
beehren → /bəˈʔeːʁən/
to honor
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