I Before E Except After C
The most famous spelling rule in English, with the exceptions that catch even confident spellers.
The i before e rule says: write i before e in most words (believe, piece, field), but flip to ei after the letter c (receive, ceiling, deceive). The rule covers a large set of common words but is famous for its exceptions: weird, height, eight, weight, seize, and foreign all break it. This page gives you the rule, the worked examples, the exceptions, and a 66-word practice list pulled straight from our spelling app.
How the rule works
The full classroom version of the rule is the rhyme: “i before e, except after c, or when sounding like ay as in neighbour and weigh.” That is three sub-rules in one sentence, which is why it is hard to remember and easier to get wrong.
In plain language: in most English words, when you hear the long ee sound (like in piece or field), the letters go i then e. The exception is when the previous letter is c (as in receive or ceiling), where you flip to ei. The rule applies to the long ee sound specifically, which is why ancient does not break it (the ie there is not making an ee sound).
The second part of the rhyme covers a different sound: when the ei pattern is making a long a sound, as in eight, weight, neighbour, sleigh, and reign. This is a separate pattern that uses ei because the sound is ay, not ee.
The rule is most reliable for the long ee sound after non-c consonants (piece, brief, field, chief). Once you move into proper nouns, loanwords, or words with the ay or short e sound, the rule starts to fray. That is why learning the common exceptions by heart matters as much as knowing the rule.
Examples that follow the rule
| Word | Why it follows the rule |
|---|---|
| believe | i before e, no c preceding, long ee sound |
| piece | i before e, no c preceding (the c here is part of the sp+iece sound, not directly before ie) |
| field | i before e, no c preceding, long ee sound |
| chief | i before e, no c preceding, long ee sound |
| receive | ei after c, long ee sound |
| ceiling | ei after c, long ee sound |
| deceive | ei after c, long ee sound |
| eight | ei when the sound is long a, not ee |
I before E word list
45 words to work through. Click Print / Save as PDF for a printer-friendly version, or work through them online with audio.
 litspelling.com |
Audio-first spelling practice online at litspelling.com. Hear every word, then spell it. |
I before E word list66 words combining the core rule words and the ei/ie variants Merged from the I Before E (Except After C) and ei and ie Words lists in our spelling app.
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The exceptions (rule breakers)
No spelling rule is airtight. These words break the pattern and have to be learned by heart.
No c preceding and the sound is ee, but the spelling is ei. Old English origin.
Ei when the sound is ai, not ee. Germanic root.
Ei after non-c letter with an ee sound. From Old French.
Ei after non-c, vowel sound is short. From Old French foreign.
Ei after non-c with a long ee sound. From Old French leisir.
Ei after non-c with an ee sound. Modern scientific coinage.
Ei after non-c with an ee sound. From German Kaffein.
Ei after non-c, vowel sound varies by accent. Norse origin.
Ie after c. The ie here is not the long ee sound, so the rule does not apply.
Ie after c. The i and e are in separate syllables (sci-ence).
Common mistakes to avoid
“recieve” → “receive” (ei after c)
“beleive” → “believe” (i before e, no c)
“wierd” → “weird” (an exception you have to learn by heart)
“cieling” → “ceiling” (ei after c)
“theif” → “thief” (i before e, no c)
“recieved” → “received” (same ei-after-c rule applies to the past tense)
Quick tip: If a c sits in front of the ie/ei spot, write ei. If not, default to ie. When the sound is "ay" (as in eight or weigh), write ei regardless. For everything else, check whether the word is on the exceptions list and memorise it if so.