Final answer:
The answer to the question is 'erudite', which denotes being educated or wise. The word contains both short and long 'e' sounds, which can be seen in the pronunciation and spelling rules of the English language.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 7-letter word meaning educated or wise is 'erudite'. So the correct answer is a) Erudite. When looking at vowel sounds, 'erudite' has both short and long e sounds. For example, in words like 'slept', the e is a short vowel sound [e], in contrast to words like 'green' where the e is pronounced as a long vowel sound [ē].
Regarding the spelling of certain sounds, the letter c spells the [s] sound when it is followed by an e, i, or y. This rulehelps us understand the pronunciation and spelling of many words in the English language.
The silent final e also impacts the pronunciation of letters before it, such as making a g soft, as in the sound [j] found in the word 'geography'. Similarly, a final e is often deleted before suffixes starting with these letters: e, i, or y, as they can influence the softness of a preceding c.