Understanding ei and ij

In Dutch, some words contain the letters ‘ei’ or ‘ij’. These two combinations sound the same, but they are spelled differently. It’s important to know when to use each one!

ei words

• Examples of ‘ei’:
• blij (happy)
• leiding (leadership)
• plein (square)

ij words

• Examples of ‘ij’:
• tijd (time)
• blij (happy)
• rijd (drive)

Some people find it hard to remember which spelling to use. Here are some tips:

Helpful Tips

• If you can replace ei with the word lei (slate), it usually has ei in it.
• If you can replace ij with the word wijd (wide), it usually has ij in it.

Practice makes perfect!

Try writing words with ‘ei’ and ‘ij’ to become better at it!