Different sound of ‘EA’ “Ea” is a digraph, which means it’s a combination of two letters that represent a single sound. However, unlike some digraphs, “ea” can represent multiple different vowel sounds in English. Here are some of the most common: * Long “e” sound (/iː/) as in “eat,” “sea,” “team.” This is probably the most common pronunciation. * Short “e” sound (/ɛ/) as in “bread,” “head,” “meant.” * Short “a” sound (/eɪ/) as in “steak,” * A schwa sound (/ə/) in words like “really” (sometimes)