Pronunciation: [jˈiː] (IPA) 
The spelling of "ye" can be quite confusing because it is a Middle English form of "the," but it is pronounced differently. The IPA transcription for "ye" is /jə/, which means that it is pronounced with a y-sound and a schwa, making it similar to the word "you." However, it is important to note that this pronunciation is only applicable to the Middle English form of the word. In modern English, "the" is always spelled and pronounced as "the."
Ye, derived from the Old English term "ge," is a second person plural pronoun that functions as the subject or object in a sentence. It is mainly used as an archaic or poetic version of "you" and is found in ancient and historical literature. In Middle English, "ye" started as the nominative form, while "you" was used in the accusative, dative, and genitive cases.
Historically, "ye" was also employed as a polite form of address to show respect or deference towards someone, similar to the modern usage of "sir" or "madam." It was typically used when addressing individuals of higher social status, such as nobility or royalty.
Throughout the centuries, the pronunciation of "ye" has shifted, leading to confusion regarding its meaning. This is because the symbol "þ," called "thorn," which represented the "th" sound, was often substituted with a "y" in Middle English manuscripts. Therefore, "ye" was actually intended to be pronounced as "the." However, due to this substitution and subsequent misinterpretations, "ye" is now commonly mispronounced as "yee."
In present-day usage, "ye" is mostly obsolete in standard English, with "you" taking its place as a more widely accepted second person pronoun. Nonetheless, it remains prevalent in certain contexts, particularly in historical reenactments, theatrical performances, or in poetic compositions, where the intention is to emulate an archaic style or add a touch of antiquity to the language.
The pron. of the second person-being the plu. of thou-is now only used in solemn formal discourses, you being the plu. form usually employed.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "Ye" is derived from the Old English word "þē", which was the second person plural pronoun. In Old English, "þ" represented the "th" sound. Over time, the letter "þ" gradually evolved into the letter "y" in Middle English, resulting in the spelling "ye". However, it is important to note that "ye" is not a plural form of "you" as many people believe. Rather, "ye" was used as a second person plural pronoun and has since become outdated.
