Spelling: IE/EI

Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/index.htm.

Rule

Write I before E
Except after C
Or when it sounds like an A
As in "neighbor" and "weigh"

 

i before e: relief, believe, niece, chief, sieve, frieze, field, yield

e before i: receive, deceive, ceiling, conceit, vein, sleigh, freight, eight

 

 

Exceptions

seize, either, weird, height, foreign, leisure, conscience, counterfeit, forfeit, leisure, neither, science, species, sufficient

 

 

 

You can try out these rules by doing two exercises, Exercise #1 at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_spelieEX1.html and Exercise #2 at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_spelieEX2.html. Both have separate answer keys.

The following information must remain intact on every handout printed for distribution.

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