Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ea

/ˈiː(ə)/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.81 in modern English

Syllables
ea
IPA
/ˈiː(ə)/
2
Scrabble Score
2
Letters
1
Syllables
2
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A river or watercourse.

British usage; Archaic

det

Alternative form of ea.

noun

Initialism of executive assistant.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Initialism of estate agent.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Initialism of enrolled agent.

American usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

Initialism of educational assistant.

Canadian usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

Initialism of ethyl acetate.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Initialism of environmental assessment.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English ee, ea, æ, from Old English ēa (“river”), from Proto-West Germanic *ahu (“waters, river”), from Proto-Germanic *ahwō (“waters, river”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂ (“water, flowing water”). Compare English aqua. Cognates Cognate with North Frisian ia (“river”), Saterland Frisian Äi (“river”), West Frisian ie (“water, stream”), Dutch a (“water, stream”), German Ache (“water, stream, river, flood”), Danish å (“stream, creek”), Swedish å (“stream, creek”), Icelandic á (“stream, river”), Latin aqua (“water”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: ee, ēa, *ahu, *ahwō, *h₂ekʷeh₂

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Brands.

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce ea?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈiː(ə)/.
What does ea mean?
A river or watercourse.
Where does ea come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce ea

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ea”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈiː(ə)/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “ea”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “ea” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.