'Read' and 'bread' end with the same three letters, yet the vowels are completely different. The spelling EA is famous for this. The good news: one sound is the default, and the other is a fairly short list you can memorize.
The Rule
By default, EA says the long /iː/ sound (like 'ee'), as in 'read', 'sea', and 'team'. This covers most EA words. A smaller, high-frequency group says the short /ɛ/ sound (like 'bed'), as in 'bread' and 'head'. When you meet a new EA word, assume /iː/ first, and check it against the /ɛ/ list.
EA = /iː/ (the default, like 'ee')
EA = /ɛ/ (short, like 'bed')
Common /ɛ/ Words to Memorize
Many everyday words fall in the short group: bread, head, dead, deaf, breath, health, wealth, weather, feather, leather, ready, heavy, meadow, pleasant, and instead. Notice how often they are common daily words, which is why getting them right matters so much.
The Rare Third Sound
A tiny group of EA words says /eɪ/ (like 'day'): 'great', 'break', and 'steak'. That is nearly the whole list, so learn these three as a set. Also watch 'read' and 'lead', which change vowel with tense and meaning.
Practice Tip
Test yourself with minimal pairs: bead/bed sound, read (present)/read (past). For more vowel spelling patterns, see our guide to the AI and AY long A rule.