Phonics word list
Ei words
In short
Ei says long a, /ā/, in vein and reign, and long e, /ē/, in receive and ceiling. It is less common than ie. Our checked list has 57 words with ei.
At a glance
- Words in our list
- 57
- By syllables
- one syllable: 21 · two syllables: 27 · three or more syllables: 9
- Taught in
- Lesson 114 in the sequence
One spelling, more than one sound
Most lists mix these up. We count each sound separately, so a student practicing one sound only sees words that make it.
| Sound | Example | Words | List |
|---|---|---|---|
| /ā/ | vein | 28 | This page |
| /ē/ | either | 29 | This page |
Ei words, most common first
Spelling units show how each word breaks into the letters that spell one sound; a_e is a vowel and silent e working together. Readable after is the first lesson where a student can sound out the whole word.
One syllable
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Sound | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vein | v·ei·n | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| reign | r·ei·gn | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| rein | r·ei·n | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| veil | v·ei·l | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| deign | d·ei·gn | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| feign | f·ei·gn | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| feint | f·ei·n·t | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| reins | r·ei·n·s | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| seize | s·ei·z·e | 1 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| skein | s·k·ei·n | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| veils | v·ei·l·s | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| veins | v·ei·n·s | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| deigns | d·ei·gn·s | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| reigns | r·ei·gn·s | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| reined | r·ei·n·ed | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| seized | s·ei·z·ed | 1 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| skeins | s·k·ei·n·s | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| veiled | v·ei·l·ed | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| deigned | d·ei·gn·ed | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| feigned | f·ei·gn·ed | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| reigned | r·ei·gn·ed | 1 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
Two syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Sound | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| either | ei·th·er | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| neither | n·ei·th·er | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| receive | r·e·c·ei·v·e | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| received | r·e·c·ei·v·ed | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| receives | r·e·c·ei·v·e·s | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| ceiling | c·ei·l·i·ng | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| leisure | l·ei·s·ur·e | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| protein | p·r·o·t·ei·n | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| caffeine | c·a·ff·ei·n·e | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| conceive | c·o·n·c·ei·v·e | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| perceive | p·er·c·ei·v·e | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| conceived | c·o·n·c·ei·v·ed | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| perceived | p·er·c·ei·v·ed | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| perceives | p·er·c·ei·v·e·s | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| seizes | s·ei·z·e·s | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| unveil | u·n·v·ei·l | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| reining | r·ei·n·i·ng | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| seizing | s·ei·z·i·ng | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| unveils | u·n·v·ei·l·s | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| veiling | v·ei·l·i·ng | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| ceilings | c·ei·l·i·ng·s | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| deigning | d·ei·gn·i·ng | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| feigning | f·ei·gn·i·ng | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| proteins | p·r·o·t·ei·n·s | 2 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| reigning | r·ei·gn·i·ng | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 118 |
| reindeer | r·ei·n·d·eer | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
| unveiled | u·n·v·ei·l·ed | 2 | /ā/ | Lesson 114 |
Three or more syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Sound | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| receiving | r·e·c·ei·v·i·ng | 3 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| receiver | r·e·c·ei·v·er | 3 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| conceiving | c·o·n·c·ei·v·i·ng | 3 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| perceiving | p·er·c·ei·v·i·ng | 3 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| conceivable | c·o·n·c·ei·v·a·b·le | 4 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| conceivably | c·o·n·c·ei·v·a·b·l·y | 4 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| receivers | r·e·c·ei·v·er·s | 3 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| preconceive | p·r·e·c·o·n·c·ei·v·e | 3 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
| preconceived | p·r·e·c·o·n·c·ei·v·ed | 3 | /ē/ | Not in the sequence |
When do these words become readable?
The lessons where the most words on this page become decodable. Words marked not in the sequence have a spelling the sequence never teaches as a pattern.
| Readable after | Words |
|---|---|
| Lesson 114 | 17 |
| Lesson 118 | 11 |
| Not in the sequence | 29 |
How do you teach ei words?
Teach ei in two groups. "After c, ei usually says /ē/: receive, ceiling." Then the /ā/ group: vein, reign, rein. Many ei /ā/ words also have eigh, so teach them side by side.
What mistake do students make with ei words?
Students write ie for ei after c (recieve). The old rhyme helps here: after c, ei. In reading, flex between /ē/ and /ā/.
Where do ei words come in the sequence?
Ei is taught late, with other less common long a and long e spellings. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 114.
Exceptions worth knowing
Weird, either, neither, seize and protein use ei for /ē/ without c. Their and heir use ei before r.
Decodable sentences
Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 114 or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.
- The vein is in my arm.
- The veins in a leaf are thin.
- Pull the reins.
Questions people ask
What are 5 ei words?
When do you use ei instead of ie?
What sounds does ei make?
When can a student read ei words?
How this list was built
Every word comes from our lexicon of common English words, each split into spelling units and checked against a pronouncing dictionary, so a word is listed under the sound its spelling really makes. Words a student sees in our assessments are left out. The readable after lesson comes from our decodability engine, which checks each spelling unit and syllable pattern against the lesson sequence. You can run your own text through the same engine with the free decodable text checker.