I before E except after C
I before E except after C is a spelling rule used in English. This rule of thumb is not always true. However, if we interpret it correctly it can be useful.
- If the pronunciation of a vowel is stressed /iː/ and you are not sure if you should spell "ie" or "ei" then go for "ie" except in /siː/ which is "cei".
A shorter form is
- I before E except after C if the vowel-sound rhymes with bee.[1]
Examples[edit | edit source]
You are not sure if it’s "chief" or "cheif". The rule helps you to spell "chief".
You are not sure if /siːlɪŋ/ is "seiling", "sieling", "ceiling", or "cieling". The rule tells you it’s "ceiling".
You are not sure if /ˈsiːʒər/ is "seizure", "siezure", "ceizure" or "ciezure". The rule misleads you into thinking it’s *"ceizure", or maybe *"siezure".
You don’t know how to spell /ˈfriːkwənt/. The rule tells you it is not "freiquent" and it might be "friequent". However, the actual spelling is "frequent".
Common words[edit | edit source]
- achieve, belief, believe, brief, chief, field, grief, niece, piece, relief, shield, skied, thief, yield
- After C: ceiling, conceive, deceit, deceive, perceive, receipt, receive
Unstressed /iː/[edit | edit source]
The rule doesn’t hold
- caffeine, protein, species
Unstressed /iː/ or /ɪ/[edit | edit source]
The rule doesn’t hold
- Plurals: agencies, currencies, democracies, fancies, frequencies, policies
- Verbal forms: fancied, fancies
The rule holds (even if it doesn’t apply)
- Plurals: babies, cities, companies, countries, families, stories, parties
- Verbal forms: carries, copies, marries, studies, worries
Exceptions[edit | edit source]
- either - leisureAmE - neither - seizure
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Greg Brooks, Dictionary of the British English Spelling System, page 221, 2015.