{"id":1778,"date":"2019-07-10T21:37:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T21:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/?p=1778"},"modified":"2024-04-21T13:02:33","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T13:02:33","slug":"fun-facts-13-english-spelling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2019\/07\/10\/fun-facts-13-english-spelling\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun Facts About English #13 – Spelling Long ‘e’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Fun<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The struggle with spelling that many people have is real. The “i<\/em> before e<\/em>” rule is an example where we often run into problems. According to Merriam-Webster, “The “i<\/em> before e<\/em> except after c<\/em>” rule is highly inconsistent in the English language and should not be considered a solid rule.” The influence of different spelling paradigms that included Old German, Norse, and French, has resulted in an orthography that is less than tidy. In roughly three-quarters of all words with either an \u201cie\u201d or an \u201cei\u201d pair, the proper spelling is \u201cie,\u201d as the rule would have you believe. The problem is the “except after c<\/em>” aspect. In fact, the opposite is true: \u201ccie\u201d words outnumber \u201ccei\u201d words by about three to one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all this being said, when teaching young learners, it is helpful to have guiding principles, no matter how contradictory the rules may be as they become more sophisticated spellers. Children can be quite understanding if you just explain. Reading is by far the best way to expose kids (and adults!) to these inconsistencies and become familiar with various spellings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are eight – but not all – ways to spell the long \/e\/ sound in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. In some cases, the long \/e\/ sound is spelled with just the letter e<\/strong>. Though usually more than one syllable long, exceptions include words like me<\/em>, be<\/em> we<\/em>, he<\/em>, and she<\/em>.  It is also used in the prefixes re-<\/em>, be-<\/em>, and de-<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fun<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Many words spell the long \/e\/ sound with the letters ee<\/strong>. The long \/e\/ sound can appear in the beginning, middle, or end of the word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fun<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Using the letters ea<\/strong> is a common way of spelling the long \/e\/ sound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fun<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4. Sometimes the long \/e\/ sound is spelled with an e<\/em> in the middle of the word and an e<\/em> at the end of the word in a silent e<\/em> or magic e<\/em> form. These words are normally, but not always, more than one syllable long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fun<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

5. In the case of ie<\/strong> words, the well-known ‘i <\/em>before e<\/em> except after c<\/em>‘ spelling rule can apply to long \/e\/ sounds. Numerous exceptions to this rule include weird<\/em>, either<\/em>, leisure<\/em>, and seize<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fun<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

6. These are examples where the ‘i<\/em> before e<\/em> except after c<\/em>‘ rule applies when spelling the long \/e\/ sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fun<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

7. You’re probably familiar with these proper names that are spelled with the digraph ae<\/strong> and have a long \/e\/ pronunciation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n