We have been looking at the vowel sounds one sound at a time. The best way to re-train your brain to hear these sounds is to use listening skills. But being familiar with the variations in spelling will also help you succeed.
The sound /e/; or "vowel ay," has at least nine different ways that it is spelled in English. It is most frequently spelled with the letter a and is sometimes called "long a". You can see examples of the sound's various spellings in the chart below.