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The Letter E In American English

vowel letters
The Letter "E" in the English Alphabet

"E" is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter of the English alphabet.

Vowels are sounds that are pronounced without any restriction in the vocal tract. It means we can produce it with the unrestricted flow of air.

Uppercase Form

E

Lowercase Form

e

Name

e (pronounced /ˈiː/)

Common Sounds

/ə/, /Ø/, /ɛ/, /ɪ/, /iː/, /ɜ/

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The Letter E: Sounds

Vowels in the English language can have many many sounds. Here we will look at some of its common ones.

Sound 1: /ə/

The most common sound produced by "e" is /ə/:

Example

often /ˈɔf(t)ən/

silent /ˈsaɪlənt/

envelope /ˈɛnvəˌloʊp/

Sound 2: /Ø/

"e" can be silent, mostly at the end of the words:

Example

elope /ɪˈloʊp/

grace /ɡɹeɪs/

score /skɔɹ/

Silent -e

The letter "e" is usually silent at the end of a word, as in "safe." Silent -e can also be found in the middle of a word, in a compound, such as "safeguard" (safe + guard), or when suffixes are added, such as "safely."

Sound 3: /ɛ/

"e" also sounds /ɛ/:

Example

bed /bɛd/

egg /ɛɡ/

credit /ˈkɹɛdɪt/

lend /lɛnd/

Sound 4: /ɪ/

"e" can also produce the /ɪ/ sound:

Example

pretty /ˈpɹɪti/

retrieve /rɪˈtriːv/

heroic /hɪˈɹoʊ.ɪk/

Sound 5: /iː/

"e" also sounds /iː/:

Example

Chinese /tʃaɪˈniːz/

sequence /ˈsiːkwəns/

scenery /ˈsiːnəɹi/

Sound 6: /ɜ/

"e" mainly sounds /ɜ/ when followed by the letter "r":

Example

verb /vɜrb/

nerve /nɜrv/

serve /sɜrv/

Tip!

"e" sounds /ɑ/ in the French loanwords "genre:"

Example

genre /ˈʒɑnɹə/

The Letter E: Multigraphs

"e" can also appear in combination with other letters (mainly vowels and sometimes consonants). They can create distinct vowels:

ee

"ee" commonly has two sounds:

/iː/

/ɪə/

1. "ee" sounds /iː/:

Example

tree /triː/

feet /fiːt/

eel /iːl/

2. "ee" also sounds /ɪə/:

Example

cheer /tʃɪər/

engineering /ˌendʒɪˈnɪərɪŋ/

pioneering /ˌpaɪəˈnɪərɪŋ/

ea

"ea" commonly has four sounds:

/e/

/iː/

/eɪ/

/ɪə/

1. "ea" in the middle of words sounds /e/:

Example

bread /bred/

head /hed/

thread /θred/

2. "ea" also sounds /iː/:

Example

pea /piː/

beach /biːtʃ/

teacher /ˈtiːtʃər/

3. "ea" also sounds /eɪ/:

Example

break /breɪk/

steak /steɪk/

4. "ea" also sounds /ɪə/:

Example

idea /aɪˈdɪə/

theater /ˈθɪətər/

Tip!

"ea" sounds /e/ in the word "bear" and its combination:

Example

bearing /ˈberɪŋ/

ei

"ei" commonly has two sounds:

/eɪ/

/iː/

1. "ei" mainly sounds /eɪ/:

Example

veil /veɪl/

rein /reɪn/

reign /reɪn/

2. "ei" also sounds /iː/:

Example

ceiling /ˈsiːlɪŋ/

protein /ˈproʊtiːn/

receipt /rɪˈsiːt/

Tip!

"ei" in these two words sound /aɪ/ or /iː/:

Example

either /ˈaɪðər/, /ˈiːðər/

neither /ˈnaɪðər/, /ˈniːðər/

eo

"eo" sounds /ə/:

Example

dungeon /ˈdʌndʒən/

sturgeon /ˈstɝdʒən/

Tip!

"eo" sounds /iː/ in the word "people":

Example

people /ˈpiːpl/

eu

"eu" commonly has three sounds:

/jʊ/

/juː/

/uː/

1. "eu" sounds /jʊ/:

Example

Europe /ˈjʊrəp/

euro /ˈjʊɹoʊ/

2. "eu" standing at the beginning of words can also sound /juː/:

Example

eucalyptus /ˌjuːkəˈlɪptəs/

euphoria /juːˈfɔː.ri.ə/

Eugene /juːˈdʒiːn/

3. "eu" standing in the middle of words always sounds /uː/:

Example

neutral /ˈnuːtrəl/

pseudonym /ˈsuːdənɪm/

rheumatic /ruːˈmæt̬ik/

ew

"ew" commonly has two sounds:

/uː/

/oʊ/

1. "ew" sounds /uː/ at the end of words:

Example

crew /kruː/

screw /skruː/

cashew /ˈkæʃuː/

2. "ew" also sounds /oʊ/:

Example

sew /soʊ/

sewn /soʊn/

ey

"ey" commonly has two sounds:

/iː/

/eɪ/

1. "ey" sounds /iː/:

Example

monkey /ˈmʌŋki/

donkey /ˈdɒŋki/

money /ˈmʌni/

2. "ey" also sounds /eɪ/:

Example

prey /preɪ/

they /ðeɪ/

ae

"ae" sounds /ɛ/:

Example

aerial /ˈɛɹiəl/

aesthetic /ɛsˈθɛt.ɪk/

aerate /ˈɛːɹeɪt/

Tip!

"ae" sounds /eɪ/ in the word "sundae:"

Example

sundae /ˈsʌndeɪ/

ie

"ie" commonly has two sounds:

/iː/

/aɪ/

1. "ie" sounds /iː/:

Example

achieve /əˈtʃiːv/

brief /briːf/

cookie /ˈkʊki/

2. "i" after a consonant and before the vowel "e" sounds /aɪ/:

Example

pie /paɪ/

tie /taɪ/

Tip!

"ie" in the word friend sounds /ɛ/:

Example

friend /fɹɛnd/

oe

"oe" commonly has two sounds:

/oʊ/

/uː/

1. "oe" sounds /doʊ/:

Example

doe /doʊ/

hoe /hoʊ/

toe /toʊ/

2. "oe" at the end of words also sounds /uː/:

Example

shoe /ʃuː/

canoe /kəˈnuː/

Tip!

"oe" sounds /ʌ/ in the word "does:"

Example

does /dʌz/

"oe" sounds /iː/ in French loanwords:

Example

phoenix /ˈfiːnɪks/

foetus /ˈfiːtəs/

ue

"ue" at the end or in the middle of words sounds /uː/

Example

blue /bluː/

clue /kluː/

true /truː/

The Letter E: Uses

The letter "E" can be used as:

The third musical note

A grade in educational systems, like "she got an E in French."

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