What are the words ending in "-ey" pronounced [eɪ]?
Solution 1:
Other words pronounced like 'survey' are 'convey' and 'purvey' (an old-fashioned verb meaning sell). "Drey", "whey" and "Hey!", as in "Hey Jude", also rhyme with grey and prey.
A rule that seems more or less to work is that the "ay" sound is used in single syllable "ey" words or words ending in "ey" in which the stress is on the last syllable, but the ee sound is used if the stress is on a previous syllable. This works for 'survey' as a verb but not for 'survey' as a noun, and there are doubtless more exceptions. I've just thought of one: key.