This lesson explores the English multigraph 'ei,' covering its various pronunciations and the phonological rules that govern its sounds.

English Multigraph '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 /ht/

feisty /ˈfsti/

heist /hst/

eider /ˈdɚ/

Sound 2: /i:/

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

ceiling /ˈslɪŋ/

protein /ˈpɹoʊ.tn/

receipt /rɪˈst/

Sound 3: /eɪ/

'ei' sounds /eɪ/:

veil /vl/

rein /rn/

reign /rn/

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/

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