I Before E, Except After C
Have you ever memorized the chorus of a song? You may sing a few lines over and over, but you can’t remember what comes after the section you know. Many people recite the mnemonic “I before E, except after C.” They either don’t remember or never learned the rest of the rhyme. Here are two additional lines that reveal some exceptions to the spelling rule:
I before E, Except after C, unless it sounds like A, as in neighbor or weigh
There are many exceptions to this rule—maybe it’s better to think of it as a guideline—but it can be helpful with words like the ones below.
I before E
Would you like a piece
of cake?
Jerry will believe
anything.
They’re planting new grass on the football field
.
Except before C
Darnell received
an A on his spelling test.
Jeremy spotted a spider on the ceiling
.
I never expected such deceit
from you!
Unless it sounds like A
Our neighbors
live in a beige
house.
How much does the kitten weigh
?
Here’s a tip: It’s a good idea to memorize these common exceptions to the rule:
seize, either, weird, height, foreign, leisure, conscience, counterfeit, forfeit, neither, science, species, sufficient
