Spelling words with the 'ee' sound spelt 'ei' | English

Starter quiz

Match the word to the representation of the 'ee' sound it contains.
- meet
  
  ⇔
  
  ee ✓
- meat
  
  ⇔
  
  ea ✓
- even
  
  ⇔
  
  e-e ✓
- she
  
  ⇔
  
  e ✓
- protein
  
  ⇔
  
  ei ✓
- relief
  
  ⇔
  
  ie ✓
Match the words linked to the rule 'i before e, except after c'.
- retrieval
  
  ⇔
  
  'i before e' words ✓
- perceived
  
  ⇔
  
  'except after c' words ✓
- seized
  
  ⇔
  
  exception to the rule words ✓
Select the words which contain the long vowel ee sound.
- caffeine ✓
- diet
- happily ✓
- eight
- cheat ✓
Select the words which contain the long vowel ay sound.
- eighty ✓
- park
- veins ✓
- chief
- please
Select the homophones.
- eight ✓
- eat
- ate ✓
- tea
Match each word to the correct meaning.
- reins
  
  ⇔
  
  a pair of leather straps used to guide a horse ✓
- beige
  
  ⇔
  
  a pale, sandy colour ✓
- seismic
  
  ⇔
  
  relating to earthquakes ✓

Match the words linked to the rule 'i before e, except after c'.
- thieves
  
  ⇔
  
  'i before e' words ✓
- receipt
  
  ⇔
  
  'except after c' words ✓
- caffeine
  
  ⇔
  
  exception to the rule words ✓
Select the correct spelling of the word.
- purcieve
- purceive
- percieve
- perceive ✓
Select the correct spelling of the word.
- riseept
- reciept
- receipt ✓
- riceipt
Select the correct spelling of the word.
- proteen
- protien
- protein ✓
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. Can you see the vayn in my arm?
- 'vein' ✓
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. A ‘dayity’ is a god or goddess.
- 'deity' ✓

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The 'ee' sound spelt 'ei' generally comes after the letter 'c' (deceive) or at the beginning of a word (either)
Exceptions include: protein, caffeine, seize, weird, foreign as well as either and neither if pronounced as such.
The 'ei' spelling can also make a long 'ay' sound and break other learnt rules.
How to spell the curriculum words: neighbour and soldier.

Pupils may think that the 'ei' spelling only represents the 'ee' phoneme.

Show a range of words with 'ei' representing different sounds. You can stretch and sound button to show the direct phoneme - grapheme correspondence.

Phoneme - the smallest unit of sound that can change a word's meaning
Grapheme - the letter or group of letters that represent a sound (the spelling)
Letter string - a group of letters that are written together in a word
Exception - a case or situation that does not follow the usual or expected rule or pattern