The spelling -EY is one of the trickiest in English. Sometimes it sounds like /eɪ/, the long A you hear in they. Sometimes it sounds like /i/, the short ee you hear in money. There is no need to memorize each word: a single rule based on stress decides for you.
The Rule in One Line
If the syllable carrying -EY is stressed, the sound is /eɪ/. If it is unstressed, the sound reduces to /i/.
Stressed -EY = /eɪ/
Most one-syllable words and words where -EY is the loud syllable take the long-A sound:
Notice that obey and convey are two-syllable words, but the stress falls on the final syllable that contains -EY. Because the syllable is stressed, the sound is the full /eɪ/.
Unstressed -EY = /i/
When -EY sits in an unstressed syllable, usually a final weak syllable, the vowel collapses into a short /i/:
Key looks like a one-syllable word that should follow the stressed rule, but it is so short and unstressed in normal speech that it naturally reduces. Treat it as the prototype of the /i/ group.
How to Decide Without Thinking
Listen for stress. If the rest of the word lacks an obvious loud syllable, -EY is probably the loud one and you say /eɪ/. If the loud syllable is somewhere else, -EY is weak and becomes /i/.
Stress Pattern Reminder
- One-syllable / single-vowel words → stressed → /eɪ/. Examples: they, hey, prey, grey, whey.
- Two-syllable verbs ending in -EY → often stressed final → /eɪ/. Examples: obey, convey, survey (verb).
- Multi-syllable nouns ending in -EY → unstressed final → /i/. Examples: money, honey, valley, journey, monkey, donkey.
Watch Out For Heteronyms
The same word can swap categories when it changes word class:
- survey (noun) — SURvey, /ˈsɜːrveɪ/ — first syllable stressed, but the long A still survives in the final because it is a secondary stress.
- survey (verb) — surVEY, /sərˈveɪ/ — final syllable stressed, full /eɪ/.
The Two Frequent Mistakes
- Saying moh-NAY for money with stress on the second syllable. The right pattern is MO-nee.
- Saying jour-nee for journey with the final syllable too prominent. Stress sits on JOUR, the rest is weak.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Word | Sound | Stress on -EY? |
|---|---|---|
| they | /ðeɪ/ | yes |
| obey | /oʊˈbeɪ/ | yes |
| money | /ˈmʌni/ | no |
| honey | /ˈhʌni/ | no |
| journey | /ˈdʒɜːrni/ | no |
| convey | /kənˈveɪ/ | yes |
Self-Test
For each word, predict the sound (/eɪ/ or /i/) before saying it aloud:
- chimney — /i/
- prey — /eɪ/
- turkey — /i/
- convey — /eɪ/
- kidney — /i/
- obey — /eɪ/
- parsley — /i/
- survey (verb) — /eɪ/
Summary
Stress is the only rule you need. Stressed -EY = /eɪ/. Unstressed -EY = /i/. Once you can hear stress in a word, you will never have to look up an -EY spelling again.