In one sentence, explain the rule/s that governs the pronunciation of the word "tea."

In the case of tea, its pronunciation consists of a short "e", pronounced as how the vowel "e" is called, whereas the letter "a" is not taken into account - this letter is not pronounced, it is simply used to determine the correct pronunciation of the whole word. This pronunciation applies as long as the compound ea is not followed by any letter. In context of the latter, the pronunciation would change in most cases.