• 75 words

Short E EA Spelling Words

Words where ea says the short e of bed: bread, feather, breakfast.

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The 20 words of this list. Add or change any. For your own list, press Clear first.

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List 1: the first 20 to learn (bread, weather)

Words to learn. Read each word, cover it, write it, then check it.

  1. 1.breadThe bakery sold out of rye bread by noon.
  2. 2.headShe balanced a library book on her head.
  3. 3.deadThe flashlight battery is dead again.
  4. 4.readyThe canoe is packed and ready to launch.
  5. 5.heavyWet snow is heavy to shovel.
  6. 6.featherA blue feather floated onto the porch.
  7. 7.weatherStormy weather kept the ferry in port.
  8. 8.sweaterGrandpa knitted a striped sweater for the dog.
  9. 9.breakfastWe ate breakfast on the cabin steps.
  10. 10.insteadTake the stairs instead of the elevator.
  11. 11.healthThe school nurse teaches a health class.
  12. 12.breathI could see my breath inside the barn.
  13. 13.meantI meant to water the ferns yesterday.
  14. 14.spreadButter was spread to every corner of the bagel.
  15. 15.threadRed thread held the kite tail together.
  16. 16.treasureA rusty key opened the treasure chest.
  17. 17.alreadyThe first bus had already left the stop.
  18. 18.sweatBeads of sweat dripped from the runner's chin.
  19. 19.meadowCrickets sang in the meadow after sunset.
  20. 20.heavenA nap in the hammock felt like heaven.

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Each word is read aloud, then used in a sentence. Type what you hear. The marks come at the end.

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Accents do not count: café may be typed as cafe, and the marks show how it is written.

Only voices built into this device are used, so the words are not sent to a speech service to be read. With no voice, a person reads the words from the last page of the test sheet.

Review test from several lists
Tick the lists to draw 10 words from

The words are mixed from the lists you tick, so a review test needs a read-aloud voice.

Next step The other sound of ea: beak, eagle, teacherMore vowel pairs that break the rule

All 75 words

List 1: the first 20 to learn (bread, weather) 20

  • already The first bus had already left the stop.
  • bread The bakery sold out of rye bread by noon.
  • breakfast We ate breakfast on the cabin steps.
  • breath I could see my breath inside the barn.
  • dead The flashlight battery is dead again.
  • feather A blue feather floated onto the porch.
  • head She balanced a library book on her head.
  • health The school nurse teaches a health class.
  • heaven A nap in the hammock felt like heaven.
  • heavy Wet snow is heavy to shovel.
  • instead Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
  • meadow Crickets sang in the meadow after sunset.
  • meant I meant to water the ferns yesterday.
  • ready The canoe is packed and ready to launch.
  • spread Butter was spread to every corner of the bagel.
  • sweat Beads of sweat dripped from the runner's chin.
  • sweater Grandpa knitted a striped sweater for the dog.
  • thread Red thread held the kite tail together.
  • treasure A rusty key opened the treasure chest.
  • weather Stormy weather kept the ferry in port.

List 2: more one-syllable words (deaf, threat) 11

  • cleanse Rain will cleanse the dusty sidewalk.
  • deaf A deaf actor signed every line of the play.
  • dealt The storm dealt the pier a hard blow.
  • death The first frost meant death for the basil.
  • dread I dread cleaning out the garage.
  • dreamt Last night I dreamt about a flying bicycle.
  • realm The queen ruled a peaceful realm.
  • stealth The cat crossed the room with stealth.
  • threat Hail is a threat to the apple crop.
  • tread The tread on my boots is worn smooth.
  • wealth The library holds a wealth of old maps.

List 3: two syllables (steady, pleasant) 18

  • ahead The trail splits just ahead of the bridge.
  • breathless The climb to the tower left us breathless.
  • deafen The roar of the waterfall could deafen a visitor.
  • dreadful The burnt toast left a dreadful smell.
  • healthy A healthy fern has bright green fronds.
  • heather Purple heather covered the windy hillside.
  • jealous The older hen seemed jealous of the chicks.
  • leather The leather saddle creaked with every step.
  • measure Tailors measure a sleeve from the shoulder.
  • peasant The peasant in the folktale grew giant turnips.
  • pheasant A pheasant burst out of the tall grass.
  • pleasant A pleasant breeze drifted through the tent.
  • pleasure Reading by the stove is a winter pleasure.
  • steady A steady drizzle soaked the bleachers.
  • sweaty We came home sweaty from the bike ride.
  • threaten Dark clouds threaten to spoil the parade.
  • wealthy The wealthy merchant owned twelve ships.
  • zealous A zealous fan waved two flags at once.

List 4: compound words (headache, gingerbread) 15

  • arrowhead A flint arrowhead sat in the display case.
  • bedspread A quilted bedspread covered the bunk.
  • deadline The deadline for the poster contest is Friday.
  • gingerbread The gingerbread smelled of cloves and molasses.
  • headache Loud drumming gave the bus driver a headache.
  • headband Her headband kept the hair out of her eyes.
  • headlight One headlight on the van was cracked.
  • headline The headline announced a record snowfall.
  • letterhead The club printed its logo on the letterhead.
  • meadowlark A meadowlark sang from the fence post.
  • overhead A blimp drifted slowly overhead.
  • shortbread A tin of shortbread sat by the kettle.
  • sweatshirt My gray sweatshirt has a torn pocket.
  • trailhead Park your bikes at the trailhead.
  • widespread The storm caused widespread power cuts.

List 5: three syllables and more (unsteady) 11

  • endeavor Building the treehouse was a long endeavor.
  • feathery A feathery frost covered the windshield.
  • heavily It rained heavily during the soccer final.
  • leathery An old baseball glove feels soft and leathery.
  • measurement Each measurement was off by an inch.
  • steadily The tortoise walked steadily toward the lettuce.
  • treasurer The club treasurer counted the bake sale money.
  • unhealthy The drooping yellow leaves looked unhealthy.
  • unpleasant Sour milk has an unpleasant smell.
  • unsteady The newborn calf was unsteady on its legs.
  • weatherproof A weatherproof cover protects the grill.

How it works

These short e words spelled ea fill 5 lists, 75 words in all. List 1 has the 20 to learn first, from head and dead to treasure and meadow.

Read the full guide

Words with short e spelled ea, list by list

After the starter list, List 2 adds one-syllable words such as deaf, threat and wealth. List 3 has two syllables: steady, pleasant, jealous. List 4 is compound words, most of them built on head: headache, overhead, gingerbread. List 5 runs to three syllables and more: unsteady, measurement, weatherproof.

  • In 9 of the 20 words on List 1 the ea comes before d: bread, head, ready, meadow.
  • Mean, deal and dream have a long e. Their past forms meant, dealt and dreamt keep the ea and say short e.

Questions and answers

Which words make the short e sound and are spelled with ea?

Ten everyday ones are bread, head, dead, ready, heavy, feather, weather, sweater, breakfast and instead. In all 75 words here the dictionary gives the ea that sound.

Does ea always say short e?

No. It says long e in eat, beach and teacher, and long a in great, break and steak. Bread and bead differ by one letter and take different sounds, so each short e word has to be learned.

Why are read and lead not on the lists?

Each spelling is said two ways. Read has a long e for today and a short e for yesterday. Lead has a long e as a verb and a short e as the metal. The lists keep to words the dictionary says one way.

Is it weather or whether?

Weather, as in rain and sun, has the ea. Whether, as in whether or not, has a plain e after wh. The test reads a sentence with each word, so the listener knows which one to write.

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