/i/ — the SEE vowel as in see, feel, green

Main spellings (~90%)

This sound has several common spellings — no single one dominates.

⟨ee⟩ ~25%

The most recognizable spelling of /i/.

⟨ea⟩ ~20%

Very common, but ⟨ea⟩ can also be /ɛ/ (as in "bread") — see the BED vowel.

⟨e⟩ ~20%

Regular in prefixes (be-, re-, de-) and open syllables.

⟨y⟩ ~25%

The regular spelling at the end of words.

Unusual spellings (~10%)

⟨ie⟩

⟨ey⟩

⟨e.e⟩

The split digraph — the ⟨e⟩ at both ends of the word works together.

⟨i⟩

In words from French and other languages.

⟨eo⟩

⟨oe⟩

⟨a⟩

⟨ei⟩

⟨is⟩

From French.

/i/ vs /ɪ/