ei

'ei' as a digraph has some sounds that we are going to talk about here.

Digraphs are a set of two letters that stand together and produce a new sound.

Digraph	ei
Name	ei (pronounced /ˈiː aɪ/)
Common Sound(s)	/aɪ/, /i:/, /eɪ/, /ɪ/, /ɛ/, /ə/

Pie Chart of Digraph 'ei' Pronunciation in American English

The Digraph 'ei'

Sound 1: /aɪ/

'ei' produces the sound /aɪ/:

height /haɪt/

feisty /ˈfaɪsti/

heist /haɪst/

eider /ˈaɪdɚ/

Sound 2: /i:/

'ei' can also sound /i:/ in the middle of words:

ceiling /ˈsiːlɪŋ/

protein /ˈpɹoʊ.tiːn/

receipt /rɪˈsiːt/

Sound 3: /eɪ/

'ei' sounds /eɪ/:

veil /veɪl/

rein /reɪn/

reign /reɪn/

Sound 4: /ɪ/

'ei' sounds /ɪ/:

foreign /ˈfɔɹɪn/

forfeit /ˈfɔɹ.fɪt/

sovereign /ˈsɑv(ə)ɹɪn/

Sound 5: /ɛ/

'ei' sounds /ɛ/:

heirloom /ˈɛɹˌɫum/

their /ðɛɚ/

Comments

(0)

Share on :

Learn English VocabularyStart learning categorized English vocabulary on Langeek.

Click to start

au

Explore the English multigraph 'au,' focusing on its various pronunciations. Learn how this combination produces distinct sounds in different contexts.

ea

Explore the diverse sounds of the English multigraph 'ea' in this lesson, focusing on its various pronunciations and how they influence word pronunciation.

eo

Learn about the English multigraph 'eo' and its different sounds in various words. This lesson explores its pronunciation patterns and variations.

eu

Explore the phonology of the English multigraph 'eu,' focusing on its varying sounds across different words. Understand its phonetic versatility and usage.

ie

Explore the English multigraph 'ie' and its varying sounds. Understand how this combination can represent different phonemes in various contexts.

ia

Explore the English multigraph 'ia' in this lesson, where you'll learn about its varied pronunciations and how context influences its sound in different words.

Download LanGeek app

Langeek

ei