I before E except after C

"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 deceive, ceiling, receipt, ceilidh

This rule, like many other English grammar rules, also has many common exceptions; for example:

·         ie after c: species, science, sufficient

·         ei not preceded by c: seize, weird, vein, their, foreign, feisty, heist

The rule only applies when the sound represented is ‘ee’, though. It doesn’t apply to words like science or efficient, in which the –ie- combination does follow the letter c but isn’t pronounced ‘ee’.

Neither does the rule apply to any word without the ‘ee’ sound, even when there is no c involved. For example:

ie not pronounced ee: beige, feign, foreign, forfeit, height, neighbour, vein, weight

There are a few exceptions to the general i before e rule, even when the sound is ‘ee’.

Examples include seize, weird, and caffeine.

There’s nothing for it but to learn how to spell these words, checking in a dictionary until

you are sure about them.