Phonics word list
Ie words with long i
In short
Ie says long i, /ī/, at the end of a few short words, as in pie, tie and lie, and in their plurals such as flies and tries. Our checked list has 61 words where ie says /ī/.
At a glance
- Words in our list
- 61
- By syllables
- one syllable: 20 · two syllables: 14 · three or more syllables: 27
- Taught in
- Lesson 87 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| /ī/ | die | 61 | This page |
| /ē/ | brief | 319 | See the list |
| /ĕ/ | friend | 61 | This page |
Ie words that say /ī/, 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 | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| die | d·ie | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| lie | l·ie | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| tie | t·ie | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| dies | d·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| lies | l·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| ties | t·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| flies | f·l·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| fries | f·r·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| tries | t·r·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| pie | p·ie | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| cries | c·r·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| dries | d·r·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| spies | s·p·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| vie | v·ie | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| pies | p·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 68 |
| vies | v·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 87 |
| plies | p·l·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| pries | p·r·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| shies | sh·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
| skies | s·k·ie·s | 1 | Lesson 110 |
Two syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| applies | a·pp·l·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| implies | i·m·p·l·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| replies | r·e·p·l·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| supplies | s·u·pp·l·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| allies | a·ll·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| denies | d·e·n·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| relies | r·e·l·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| scientists | sc·ie·n·t·i·s·t·s | 2 | Not in the sequence |
| untie | u·n·t·ie | 2 | Lesson 87 |
| defies | d·e·f·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| necktie | n·e·ck·t·ie | 2 | Lesson 87 |
| complies | c·o·m·p·l·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
| neckties | n·e·ck·t·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 87 |
| outcries | ou·t·c·r·ie·s | 2 | Lesson 110 |
Three or more syllables
| Word | Spelling units | Syllables | Readable after |
|---|---|---|---|
| modifies | m·o·d·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| occupies | o·cc·u·p·ie·s | 3 | Not in the sequence |
| justifies | j·u·s·t·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| qualifies | qu·a·l·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| satisfies | s·a·t·i·s·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| specifies | s·p·e·c·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 117 |
| notifies | n·o·t·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| underlie | u·n·d·er·l·ie | 3 | Lesson 87 |
| verifies | v·e·r·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| clarifies | c·l·a·r·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Not in the sequence |
| hierarchy | h·ie·r·ar·ch·y | 3 | Lesson 118 |
| rectifies | r·e·c·t·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| terrifies | t·e·rr·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| underlies | u·n·d·er·l·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 87 |
| classifies | c·l·a·ss·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| multiplies | m·u·l·t·i·p·l·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| simplifies | s·i·m·p·l·i·f·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 110 |
| identifies | i·d·e·n·t·i·f·ie·s | 4 | Lesson 110 |
| unjustified | u·n·j·u·s·t·i·f·ie·d | 4 | Lesson 87 |
| unspecified | u·n·s·p·e·c·i·f·ie·d | 4 | Lesson 117 |
| hierarchical | h·ie·r·ar·ch·i·c·a·l | 4 | Lesson 118 |
| hierarchies | h·ie·r·ar·ch·ie·s | 3 | Lesson 118 |
| unoccupied | u·n·o·cc·u·p·ie·d | 4 | Not in the sequence |
| preoccupies | p·r·e·o·cc·u·p·ie·s | 4 | Not in the sequence |
| unsatisfied | u·n·s·a·t·i·s·f·ie·d | 4 | Lesson 87 |
| disqualifies | d·i·s·qu·a·l·i·f·ie·s | 4 | Lesson 110 |
| unidentified | u·n·i·d·e·n·t·i·f·ie·d | 5 | Lesson 87 |
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 68 | 1 |
| Lesson 87 | 17 |
| Lesson 110 | 33 |
| Lesson 117 | 2 |
| Lesson 118 | 3 |
| Not in the sequence | 5 |
How do you teach ie words that say /ī/?
Teach ie /ī/ as a small group. "In short words, ie at the end says /ī/." Read pie, tie, lie, die. Then show that many ie /ī/ words come from y words: cry becomes cries, fly becomes flies. That link matters later for the y to i rule.
What mistake do students make with ie words that say /ī/?
Students read ie as /ē/ because field and piece are common. Teach the clue: when ie ends a short word, it says /ī/; in the middle, /ē/ is more likely.
Where do ie words that say /ī/ come in the sequence?
Ie /ī/ is taught with igh. Ie /ē/ often comes later. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 87.
Exceptions worth knowing
Friend says /ĕ/. Many plurals like cries and flies have ie /ī/ because of the y to i spelling change.
Decodable sentences
Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 87 or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.
- I like pie.
- Tie the rope.
- The fly can die.
Questions people ask
What are 5 ie words that say /ī/?
What sounds does ie make?
Why do cries and flies have ie?
When can a student read ie words that say /ī/?
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.