Sign inThe Letter E in American English
In this lesson, we will learn about all the sounds of the letter E. It is the fifth letter of the English alphabet. Hope you're still interested, yea?
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 | e |
| Name | e (pronounced /ˈiː/) |
| Common Sounds | /e/, /i:/, /ɪ/, /ə/ |
The Letter E: Sounds
Vowels in the English language can have many many sounds. Here we will look at some of its common ones.
Common Sounds
Sound 1: /e/
The first sound of 'e' is /e/:
b
Sound 2: /i:/
'e' also sounds /i:/:
m
Chin
Sound 3: /ɪ/
'i' also sounds /ɪ/:
rock
pr
bact
crick
Sound 4: /ə/
'e' also sounds /ə/ in the last syllable of words:
brok
poll
jew
Tip
'e' sounds /ɒ/ in the French loanwords 'genre':
g
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' sounds /i:/:
tr
f
'ee' also sounds /ɪə/:
ch
engin
pion
ea
'ea' in the middle of words sounds /e/:
br
h
thr
'ea' also sounds /i:/:
p
b
t
'ea' also sounds /eɪ/:
br
st
'ea' also sounds /ɪə/:
id
th
Tip
'ea' sounds /e/ in the word 'bear' and its combination:
b
ei
'ei' mainly sounds /eɪ/:
v
r
r
'ei' sounds /i:/:
c
prot
rec
Tip
'ei' in these two words sound /aɪ/ or /ˈiː/:
n
eo
'eo' sounds /ə/:
dung
sturg
Tip
'eo' sounds /i:/ in the word people:
p
eu
'eu' sounds /jʊ/:
'eu' standing at the beginning of words always sounds /juː/:
'eu' standing in the middle of words always sounds /uː/:
n
ps
rh
Tip
'eu' also sounds /juː/:
ew
'ew' sounds /uː/ at the end of words:
cr
scr
cash
'ew' also sounds /əʊ/:
s
s
ey
'ey' sounds /i:/ at the end of words:
monk
donk
mon
'ey' at the end of words sound /eɪ/:
gr
pr
th
ae
'ae' sounds /e/:
Tip
'ae' sounds /eɪ/ in the word 'sundae':
sund
ie
'ie' sounds /iː/:
ach
br
cook
'i' after a consonant and before the vowel 'e' sounds /aɪ/:
p
t
Tip
'ie' in the word friend sounds /e/:
fr
oe
'oe' sounds /əʊ/:
d
h
t
'oe' at the end of words sounds /uː/:
sh
can
Tip
'oe' sounds /ʌ/in the word 'does':
d
'oe' sounds /iː/ in French loanwords:
ph
f
ue
'ue' at the end or in the middle of words sounds /u:/
bl
cl
tr
Silent -e
The letter “E” is usually silent when it is at the end of a word, as in “safe”. Silent -e can also be found in the middle of a word, when it is in a compound, such as “safeguard” (safe + guard), or when suffixes are added, as in “safely”. (see more about Silent -e).
The Letter E: Uses
The letter 'e' can be used as
The third musical note
A grade in educational systems, like
Comments
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The Letter B
The Letter C
The Letter D
The Letter F
