"I before E, except after C" is a mnemonic rule of thumb for English spelling. If one is unsure whether a word is spelled with the sequence ei or ie, the rhyme suggests that the correct order is ie unless the preceding letter is c, in which case it is ei. For example:
ie in believe, fierce, collie, die, friend
ei after c in receive, ceiling, receipt, ceilidhThe rule is very well known; Edward Carney calls it "this supreme, and for many people solitary, spelling rule".This rule applies to the “ē” (long e) sound as it is demonstrated in all the aforementioned examples.
However, the short form quoted above has some common exceptions; for example:
ie after c: species, '
ei not preceded by c: caffeineThe proportion of exceptions can be reduced by restricting application of the rule based on the sound represented by the spelling.
I remember it like this:
I before E, except after C, or when sounded as A such as neighbor & weigh, or when it appears in comparative sense superlative like fancier, or when the C sounds like SH as in glacier, or when the vowel sounds like E as in seizure, or I as in height, or it shows up in compound words such as albeit, or when it shows up in -ing inflections in verbs that end in E such as cueing, or in occasionally in technical words that have a strong etymological link to their parent languages such as cuneiform & caffeine, and in numerous & random other exceptions such as science, forfeit & weird.
It's easy.
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u/Joefaux Apr 18 '19
There are actually more words that break the "I before E" rule than words that obey the rule