Russian Pod 101

Russian letter: Е е

Same look, same sound Order in the alphabet: 6

The Russian letter Е looks the same as the English E and in many cases has a similar sound.

However, there are some nuances: when in an unstressed position and in the center of a word, it tends to sound like ee.

When Е follows a consonant, the consonant becomes soft (except in some words adopted from foreign languages, then it sounds closer to the original word).

Writing

Printed 1
Е е
Printed 2
Е е
Printed 3
Е е
Cursive
Е е
Hand-written 1
blank
Hand-written 2
Е е

Pronunciation

As in the alphabet
Actual sound
Transcription
[ ye ]
How to pronounce
like ye in yes
Pronunciation tips

Unstressed Е in the center of a word sounds like ee.
Makes the preceding consonant soft.

Practice with syllables

  • ме
  • ке
  • те
blankblank

Words with this letter

Audio
With stress marks
те́ма
Cursive / Handwritten
тема
тема
Transcription / Translation
[ tyé-ma ]
topic, theme
Pronunciation tips
Audio
With stress marks
ме́тка
Cursive / Handwritten
метка
метка
Transcription / Translation
[ myét-ka ]
mark, sign, marker
Pronunciation tips

Practice with a worksheet

Practice the hand-written Russian letter Е as well as the syllables and words listed above, with this worksheet: download the worksheet.