This article was co-authored by Marissa Levis and by wikiHow staff writer, Dan Hickey. Marissa Levis is an English Teacher in the Morris County Vocational School District. She previously worked as an English director at a tutoring center that caters to students in elementary and middle school. She is an expert in creating a curriculum that helps students advance their skills in secondary-level English, focusing on MLA formatting, reading comprehension, writing skills, editing and proofreading, literary analysis, standardized test preparation, and journalism topics. Marissa received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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You probably learned “I before E except after C” in grade school...and you likely know that there are a ton of exceptions to this rule—so many that it can be hard to keep track of them! That’s where we come in. In this article, we’ll explain the “i before e except after c” rule and review its many exceptions, plus explore where the saying came from and why English words are so tricky to spell correctly in the first place.
“I Before E Except After C” Explained
The saying “I before E except after C” is a mnemonic rhyme to help English speakers remember how to spell words containing “ie” or “ei.” This rule works for common words like “believe” or “ceiling,” but there are many exceptions to the rule that it's not that widely applicable.
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- ↑ https://www.wordgenius.com/i-before-e-except-after-c-5-exceptions-to-this-famous-rule/ZECiECLW2AAHcZC_
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/28/the-i-before-e-except-after-c-rule-is-a-giant-lie/
- ↑ https://www.wordgenius.com/i-before-e-except-after-c-5-exceptions-to-this-famous-rule/ZECiECLW2AAHcZC_
- ↑ https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/i-before-e-except-after-c
- ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/i-before-e-e-before-i
- ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/i-before-e-e-before-i
- ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/i-before-e-e-before-i
- ↑ https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/i-before-e-e-before-i
- ↑ https://capitalizemytitle.com/i-before-e-except-after-c-rule/
- ↑ https://www.wordgenius.com/i-before-e-except-after-c-5-exceptions-to-this-famous-rule/ZECiECLW2AAHcZC_
- ↑ https://www.wordgenius.com/i-before-e-except-after-c-5-exceptions-to-this-famous-rule/ZECiECLW2AAHcZC_
- ↑ https://www.wordgenius.com/i-before-e-except-after-c-5-exceptions-to-this-famous-rule/ZECiECLW2AAHcZC_
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150605-your-language-is-sinful