words in this list are of course Italian.
(^) Words containing the double i are extremely rare.
(^) Occasionally, some of these i or ii words will have the long i sound:
(^) Spelling rule #4: A very small group of words uses ea for the long e sound:
(^) Spelling rule #5. Only a few words end in ie with the long e sound:
(^) Note that in the ie group we have a small subgroup of words that have the long i sound. They are mostly
short, single-syllable words.
(^) Note that the ie or y is often added to a word to give it a casual or informal sound. Often it is a
diminutive.
(^) Spelling rule #6: Another small group of words uses ey to form the long e sound:
(^) Note that there is, however, a small group of words that have the ey spelling, but it is pronounced with
the long a sound:
(^) Note that three words—bogey, bogy, and bogie—illustrate the amusing complexity of the words in this
group. They are all pronounced the same, but one is a golfing term, the second a ghost, and the third a set
of train wheels.
Sometimes the sound is the same but the spelling differs. Take that famous alcoholic beverage. In the
United States and Ireland, it is spelled whiskey, but the Canadians, the Scots, and the English spell it
whisky. The original Scots Gaelic word was uisge, and the Irish Gaelic word was uisce. Just to make it
more interesting, the Scots call it scotch, a word that they never, ever use to describe things Scottish.
Historical note: In the overly quaint Ye Olde Tea Shoppe, the word ye was originally pronounced the.
The y takes the place of an ancient letter called a thorn, now no longer used, that had the th sound. The
word yclept, much loved by history buffs, is more properly clept, as the prefix y indicates the past
participle only.
It is fascinating to review the variety of sounds that can be produced by the letter y alone or in
combination. Take, for example, a word of French origin, quay. Usually, it is pronounced key, but in some