My n ie ce has a w ei rd for ei gn fr ie nd. Can you bel ie ve it? Getting all the spellings in that sentence right could drive you crazy!Ei or ie? That can be a mind boggling dilemma.
Here’s a popular rhyme to help you!
I before an e
Except after c,
Or when sounded like ‘a’
As in neighbour and weigh,
Either, neither, leisure and seize
Are exceptions, so watch for these!
Let’s discuss this line by line.
I before e…
Examples: ach ie ve, bel ie f, bel ie ve, br ie f, ch ie f, d ie , f ie ld, f ie rce, fr ie nd, gr ie f, n ie ce, p ie ce, rel ie f, sh ie ld, th ie f, y ie ld
Except after c…
Examples: c ei ling, conc ei ve, rec ei ve, dec ei ve
Or when sounded like ‘a’
As in n ei ghbour and w ei gh...
Other examples: b ei ge, ei ght, fr ei ght, n ei ghbour, r ei gn
Ei ther, n ei ther, l ei sure and s ei ze
Are exceptions, so watch for these !
Other exceptions: Caff ei ne, prot ei n
Hey, n ie ce! Your fr ie nd may be w ei rd and for ei gn, but love her for what she is!
