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ie

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

English Multigraph 'ie'

'ie' is a digraph that we are going to talk about its sound(s) here.

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

Digraph	ie
Name	ie (pronounced /ˈaɪ ˈiː/)
Common Sound(s)	/iː/, /iə/, /aɪ/, /ɪ/, /iɛ/, /aɪə/, /ə/

Pie Chart of Digraph 'ie' Pronunciation in American English

The Digraph 'ie'

Sound 1: /iː/

If 'ie' stands in the middle of words, it always sounds /iː/:

believe /bɪˈliːv/

achieve /əˈtʃiːv/

brief /briːf/

Tip!

Keep in mind that if 'ie' stands at the end of a word, it sounds /i/, the short /i/ sound:

calorie /ˈkæl.ər.i/

cookie /ˈkʊki/

sweetie /ˈswiː.t̬i/

Sound 2: /iə/

'ie' also sounds /iə/:

alien /ˈeɪ.li.ən/

soviet /ˈsoʊ.vi.ət/

orient /ˈɔɹ.i.ənt/

Sound 3: /aɪ/

'ie' sounds /aɪ/ when it comes at the end of words:

pie /paɪ/

tie /taɪ/

lie /laɪ/

die /daɪ/

Sound 4: /ɪ/

'ie' also sounds /ɪ/:

pierce /pɪɹs/

fierce /fɪɹs/

Sound 5: /iɛ/

'ie' also sounds /iɛ/:

fiesta /fiˈɛstə/

sierra /siˈɛɹə/

Sound 6: /aɪə/

'ie' sounds /aɪə/:

society /səˈsaɪəti/

diet /ˈdaɪət/

Sound 7: /ə/

'ie' also sounds /ə/:

ancient /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

deficient /dɪˈfɪʃənt/

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