The EE sound

Table 1. The spelling of the EE-sound which occurs in 454 common words is completely
               unpredictable, with 132 ee,  152 ea,   86 e-e,  7 e,   29 i-e,   31 ie, 12 ei
               and  5 other graphemes.

agree,  bee,  beech,  beef, been, beer, beet, beetle, between, bleed,  bleep, breed
breeze,  career, cheek, cheer, cheese,  cheetah,  chimpanzee,  creek, creep, deed,
deep, deer, degree,  discreet,  domineer, dungarees, eel,   eerie,   employee,
engineer, exceed, fee,  feeble, feed, feel, feet, flee,  fleece,  fleet, free,  freeze,
geese, glee,  greed, green, greet, guarantee,  heel, indeed, interviewee,  jamboree,
jeep, jeer, jubilee,  keel, keen, keep,  knee,  kneel, lee,  leek, marquee,  meek,
meet, need,  needle, pedigree,  peek, peel, peep, peer, pioneer, preen, proceed, proceeds,  queen, queer, reed, reef, reel, referee,  refugee,  screech,  screen, see,
seed, seek, seem, seen,  seep, seesaw, settee,  sheep, sheer, sheet, sleek, sleep, sleet, sleeve,  smithereens,  sneer, sneeze,  speech,  speed, squeeze,  steel, steep, steeple, steer, street, succeed, sweep, sweet, teem, teeth,  teetotal, thirteen,
three,  tree,  trustee,  tweed, tweezers,  volunteer, weed, week,  weep, wheedle,
wheel, wheeze,  wildebeest
appeal,   appear,  beach,  beacon,   bead,   beak,   beam,   bean, beard,  beast,
beat,   beaver,   beneath,  bleach,  bleak,   bleat,   breathe, cease,  cheap,   cheat,
clean,   clear,   colleague,   conceal,   congeal,   creak,   cream,   crease,  creature,
deal, dean, dear, decrease,  defeat, disease,  dream, dreary, each,    eager,
eagle,   ear, ease,  east,  Easter,    eat, eaves,   fear, feast,  feat, feature,
flea,  freak, gear, gleam, glean, grease, heal, heap, hear, heat, heath,  heathen,
heave,  increase, jeans,  knead, leach,  lead*, leaf, league, leak, lean, leap, lease,
leash,  least, leave,  meagre, meal, mean, measles, meat, near, neat, ordeal,
pea,  peace,  peach, peak, peal, peanut, peat, plea, plead, please,  pleat, preach,  queasy,  reach,  read*, real, really, reap, rear, reason, release,  repeat, retreat,
reveal, scream, sea,  seal, seam, sear, season, seat, sheaf, shear, sheath,  smear sneak, speak, spear, squeak, squeal, squeamish,  steal, steam, streak, stream,
tea,  teach, teak, team, tear*,  tease, treacle, treason, treat, treaty, veal, weak,
wean, weary, weasel, weave,  wheat, wreak, wreath,  year, yeast,  zeal
adhere,  adhesive,  arena,    cafeteria,  cedar, cereal,  chameleon,  Chinese, comedian,  compete,  complete,  concrete, convene, convenient, decent,  demon, equal,    era,
eve,  even,   evil,    experience, exterior, extreme,  female fever, frequent, genie,
genius,  here, hero, hyena,  imperial,  inferior, ingredient, interfere,  intermediate,
legal, legion,  lenient, lever, material, medium, mere,  meteor,  meter, millipede,
mysterious, obedient, period, persevere, peter, polythene,  precede, previous,
query, recent,  recess,  region,  relay, scene,  scheme,  sequence, sequin, series,
serious, serum, severe,  sincere,  species,  sphere,  stampede, strategic, superior,
supreme,  swede,  tedious, theatre, theme,  theory,  these,  torpedo,  trapeze,
vehicle, Venus, zero
be,  he, me,  she,  we,   cathedral, secret
albino,  antique,  aubergine,  bikini,  clementine,  fatigue,  guillotine,  kiosk,  kiwi,
machine, magazine,  margarine,  marine, mosquito, pizza,  plasticine,  police,
prestige, ravine,  regime,  routine, sardine, suite,  tambourine,  tangerine, trampoline,
trio, unique,  vaseline  

achieve,  belief,   believe,  brief, chief,   diesel, thieve,  tier, wield, yield,  cavalier,
chandelier, field, fiend,  fierce frontier grief, grieve,  hygienic,   medieval, niece,
piece,  pier, pierce, priest, relief, relieve,  shield,  shriek, siege,  thief

*conceive/conceit, deceive/deceit, receive/receipt,   ceiling,    protein seize, sheikh
weir weird

 people,   debris,  key,  ski,    quay

The chart below presents the problem in a different way.

agree,  bee,  beef, been, beer, beetle, between, bleed, cheek, cheer, cheese,  creep, deep,
deer, dungarees, feed, feel, feet, fleece,  free,  freeze,  geese,  green, greet, heel, indeed,
jeep, keen, keep, knee,  kneel, meet, need, needle, peek, peel, peep, queen, screech,
screen, see,  seed, seem, seen, seesaw, settee,  sheep, sheet, sleep, sleeve,  sneeze,
speech,  speed, squeeze,  steel, steep, steer, street, sweep, sweet, teeth,  thirteen, three,
tree,  weed, week, wheel, wheeze,
appear, beach,  bead, beak, beam, bean, beard,  beast,  beat, breathe, cheap, cheat,
clean, clear, creak, cream, creature,  deal, dear, dream, each,  ear, east,  easy, eat, fear,
feast,  flea,  gleam, grease,  heal, heap, hear, heat, jeans,  knead, lead*,  leaf, leak, lean,
leap, leash,  least,  leave,  meal, mean, meat, near, neat, pea,  peace,  peach,  peanut,
please,  reach,  read*,  real, really, reason, repeat, scream, sea,  seal, seat, sneak, speak,
squeak, steal, steam, stream, tea,  teach,  team, tear*,  tease,  treat, weak, wheat, year,
yeast, 
 (* The spellings lead, read and tear spell six different words: leed / led, reed / red and teer/tair)
be,  he,  me,  she,  we,    complete,  even, fever, here,  hero,  lever, secret,  serious, these,
ski,  bikini,  kiwi,  machine,  magazine,  mosquito,  pizza,  plasticine,  police,  sardine,
trampoline,  unique,
believe,  field,  fierce, genie, piece,  pierce, shriek, thief,       weird,  key,  people
 

An alphabetic listing of the same words may give a clearer picture of the cognitive confusion which the different spellings for the EE-sound create for young pupils:

agree, appear, be,  beach, bead, beak,  beam, bean, beard, beast, beat, bee, beef, been,
beer, beetle, believe, between, bikini, bleed, breathe, cheap, cheat, cheek, cheer, cheese,
clean, clear, complete, creak, cream, creature,  creep, deal, dear, deep, deer, dream,
dungarees, each,  ear, east,  easy, eat, even, fear, feast, feed, feel, feet, fever, field,
fierce, flea, fleece,  free, freeze,  geese, genie, gleam, grease, green, greet, he, heal,
heap, hear, heat, heel, here,  hero, indeed, jeans, jeep, keen, keep, key, kiwi, knead,
knee,  kneel, lead*, leaf, leak, lean, leap, leash,  least,  leave, lever, machine,  magazine,
me, meal, mean, meat, meet, mosquito, near, neat, need, needle, pea,  peace,  peach,
peanut, peek, peel, peep,   people
piece,  pierce, pizza, plasticine, please, police, queen, reach,  read*,  real, really, reason,
repeat, sardine, scream, screech,  screen, sea,  seal, seat, secret, see,  seed, seem, seen,
seesaw, serious, settee, she, sheep, sheet, shriek, ski, sleep, sleeve, sneak, sneeze,
speak, speech,  speed, squeak, squeeze, steal, steam, steel, steep, steer, stream, street,
sweep, sweet, tea,  teach,  team, tear*,  tease, teeth, these, thief, thirteen, three, trampoline, treat, tree, unique, we, weak, weed, week,       weird, wheat, wheel, wheeze,
year, yeast.

Masha Bell 2006, author of Understanding English Spelling 2004, mashabell@aol.com

Children have to begin tackling the EE-spelling problem as soon as they start writing their own stories, because it occurs in many very common words, as can be seen below.