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⟨ae⟩

From Teflpedia

⟨ae⟩ is a vowel digraph that occurs in English. Note ⟨aer⟩ and ⟨ael⟩ are separate trigraphs.

Words with a global spelling[edit | edit source]

  • As /iː/: algae, antennae (plural of antenna as part of an insect), Caesar, larvae (plural of larva)
  • As /aɪ/: maestro, tae kwon do
  • As /eɪ/: Israel, Israeli, reggae
  • As /eɪ/, /iː/ or /ɪ/: sundae

As two separate sounds:

  • Israel: /ˈɪzriːəl/ (also /ˈɪzreɪl/)

Past tense of verbs ending in “a -- not a digraph as occurs across morpheme boundaries.

  • As /ə/: congaed, rumbaed, salsaed, sambaed, scubaed, subpoenaed /səˈpiːnəd/

Graeco-Latin words[edit | edit source]

Most words with “ae" are of Greek or Latin origin, and many of them are spelled or pronounced differently in British English and American English.

As /iː/[edit | edit source]

British spelling American spelling
aeolian eolian
anaemia anemia
archaeology archaeology, archeology
caesium cesium
encyclopedia, encyclopaedia encyclopedia
faeces feces
Graeco- Greco-
haemoglobin hemoglobin
hyena, hyaena hyena, hyaena
leukaemia leukemia
medieval, mediaeval medieval, mediaeval
orthopaedic, orthopedic orthopedic
paediatrician pediatrician
Palaeolithic Paleolithic

Other[edit | edit source]

British spelling Br pr American spelling Am pr
aesthetic /iː, e/ aesthetic, esthetic /e/
anaesthesia /ə/ anesthesia /ə/
caesarean /ɪ/ Cesarean, cesarean, Caesarean, caesarean /ɪ/
gynaecologist /ə/ gynecologist /ə/
haemorrhage /e/ hemorrhage /e/