Spelling Tips I Before E Except After C

Spelling Tips I Before E Except After C Spelling Tips: I Before E Except After C Vowel order can be tricky in English, since there isn’t always an obvious connection between how a word is spelled and the way it sounds. The â€Å"ee† sound in â€Å"believe,† for instance, is the same as in â€Å"deceive.† But the vowels in the middle of these words are reversed. The key difference is that â€Å"deceive† is spelled with a â€Å"c,† which is why we use the rhyme â€Å"i before e except after c† to remind us how to spell certain words. â€Å"I Before E Except After C† The phrase â€Å"i before e except after c† is a mnemonic: i.e., something that helps us remember something. In this case, it reminds us that â€Å"i† comes before â€Å"e† in many words, except when they are preceded by a â€Å"c.† We’ve seen how this works with â€Å"believe† and â€Å"deceive,† but there are plenty of extra examples to help make it clearer: â€Å"ie† (No â€Å"c†) â€Å"ei† (After â€Å"c†) Achieve Perceive Diesel Ceiling Belief Conceivable Acquiesce Receipt Piece Receive The Exceptions†¦ As with most rules in English, â€Å"i before e except after c† is only a guideline and there are plenty of words that don’t follow this pattern. In fact, there are 923 English words spelled with â€Å"-cie-,† which means there are more exceptions to this rule than words that follow it! Many words that end â€Å"-cy,† for example, are spelled with â€Å"-cies† when pluralized (e.g., when â€Å"democracy† becomes â€Å"democracies†). Comparatives and superlatives may also require using â€Å"-ie-† after â€Å"c† (e.g., when â€Å"bouncy† becomes â€Å"bouncier† or â€Å"bounciest†). The correct spelling of bouncier and bounciest is vital for grading inflatable castles. [Photo: Oast House Archive]Furthermore, some words spelled with â€Å"-ei-† or â€Å"-ie-,† but that don’t contain an â€Å"ee† sound, such as â€Å"beige† or â€Å"science,† don’t follow the â€Å"i before e† rule either (e.g., â€Å"foreign,† â€Å"neighbor† and â€Å"weight†). To make matters more confusing, we also have words that contain an â€Å"ee† sound but don’t have a â€Å"c,† yet which are spelled with an â€Å"-ei-† (e.g., â€Å"weird† or â€Å"caffeine†). The point is that â€Å"i before e except after c† is sometimes helpful if you’re not sure how to spell a word. However, there are many cases in which this does not apply. This makes it particularly important to proofread your work, checking the spelling of any words about which you’re uncertain.