Practice
IE and EI spelling: useful patterns and limits
Sign in to saveField and receive both contain a long vowel sound, but their spellings differ. How can you decide whether a word uses ie or ei?
Use the ie and ei pattern as a limited memory aid, recognize common c plus ei spellings, and check unfamiliar words instead of trusting the rhyme alone.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Please receive the receipt before you leave. /pliːz rɪˈsiːv ðə rɪˈsiːt bɪˈfɔː juː liːv/
The short answer
Use ie in many common words such as field, belief, and piece. After c, many words with the long ee sound use ei, as in receive, ceiling, and deceive. Treat this as a memory aid, not a rule that can predict every spelling.
We received the receipt by email.
Why it works: Receive and receipt both use ei after c, so the pattern is useful in these related words.
5 more examples
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The field was wet after the rain.
Field is a common word with ie. It is one of the familiar words that the rhyme can help you remember.
Not this:The office
receivedyour form yesterday. What changes: Received uses ei after c. The spelling remains ei when the ending -ed is added. -
Her belief in the plan grew slowly.
Belief uses ie in a common ee-sound spelling.
Not this:The company tried to
deceiveits customers. What changes: Deceive has ei after c, a pattern shared with receive. -
Light entered through the ceiling.
Ceiling has ei after c and keeps the long ee sound.
Not this:She carried one
pieceof paper to the desk. What changes: Piece uses ie. The two words show that the letter before the sequence can matter. -
The guard tried to seize the bag.
Seize has ei even though there is no c before it. Learn it as an exception rather than forcing it into the rhyme.
Not this:The team hoped to
achieveits target. What changes: Achieve uses ie. Its spelling is best learned with the whole word and its word family. -
Science is difficult for some learners.
Science contains ie, but its vowel sound is not the usual ee sound of field or receive.
Not this:The
heightof the shelf was written on the plan. What changes: Height has ei with a different vowel sound. The sound alone cannot choose the spelling.
Read the full guide
First listen for the word you want to spell, but do not let the sound make the final decision. If the word is familiar, check whether it belongs to a pattern you know: field and belief use ie, while receive and ceiling use ei after c. If the word is new or looks unusual, look it up and learn its spelling as a whole word.
Use the rhyme as a memory aid
The rhyme i before e except after c can help you remember a few common spellings. It is useful when you already know the word and want to check its letters. It cannot tell you how to spell every new word, so do not treat it as a complete rule.
The field was wet after the rain.
Field is a familiar ie spelling. The rhyme can help you remember it, but the word still needs to be learned.
Can the rhyme give a certain answer for every English word?
No. It is a limited memory aid, and English has exceptions and different vowel sounds.
Learn common ie words together
Many common words with an ee-like vowel sound use ie. Field, belief, chief, and piece are useful words to learn as a group. Notice the complete word instead of focusing on the two letters in the middle.
Her belief in the plan grew slowly.
Belief uses ie. The related word believe also has ie, which can help you remember the family.
She carried one piece of paper to the desk.
Piece is another common ie spelling. Keep it separate from words that use ei after c.
Notice ei after c
When the letter c comes directly before the vowel sequence, many common ee-sound words use ei. Receive, ceiling, deceive, and receipt follow this pattern. Look at the whole sequence cei instead of looking at e and i by themselves.
The office received your form yesterday.
Received keeps ei after c when the ending -ed is added.
Light entered through the ceiling.
Ceiling is another common example of ei after c.
Which spelling follows the c plus ei pattern: receive or recieve?
Use receive. The letters ei come directly after c.
Expect exceptions
Some words do not follow the useful pattern. Seize has ei but no c before it. Learn words like this one as individual spellings. An exception is not a reason to ignore every pattern; it is a reason to check a word that makes you pause.
The guard tried to seize the bag.
Seize is an ei spelling that does not fit the after c part of the rhyme.
Should you change seize to sieze because there is no c?
No. Seize is the standard spelling. Learn it as a whole word.
Do not rely on the vowel sound alone
IE and EI do not always sound like the vowel in field or receive. In science, ie has a different sound. In height, ei also has a different sound. When the sound changes, the rhyme gives even less help with spelling.
Science is difficult for some learners.
The ie in science does not have the same sound as the ie in field.
The height of the shelf was written on the plan.
The ei in height does not sound like the ei in receive.
Can the sound of a word always tell you whether to write ie or ei?
No. Sound is a clue, but it does not decide every spelling.
Check and record uncertain words
When you are not sure, check a learner's dictionary or a reliable spell-checker. Then write the word in a short sentence and return to it later. This gives you the spelling, the meaning, and a context that makes the word easier to remember.
Please check the spelling before you send the message.
Checking is better than guessing when the word is unfamiliar or when the rhyme does not fit.
What should you do after a dictionary confirms a new spelling?
Write the word in your own short sentence and review it with similar words.
Before you go
Remember this
Use ie in many familiar words such as field, belief, and piece. Remember ei after c in receive, ceiling, and deceive. Do not expect the rhyme to predict every spelling: seize is an exception, and words such as science and height have different vowel sounds. Check unfamiliar words and learn their spelling in context.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "IE and EI spelling: useful patterns and limits"
Is i before e except after c always correct?
No. The rhyme can help with a limited group of familiar words, especially field, receive, and ceiling. English also has exceptions, and many ie or ei sequences have vowel sounds that the rhyme does not cover. Use it as a quick memory aid, then check an uncertain word.
The field was wet after the rain.
Why does receive use ei?
Receive has ei directly after c. Many common words with a similar ee sound follow that pattern, including ceiling, deceive, and receipt. The pattern is useful for these words, but it does not mean that every word with ei must have a c before it.
The office received your form yesterday.
What is an ie and ei spelling exception?
An exception is a word that does not fit the common memory pattern. Seize, for example, has ei even though no c comes before it. Learn an exception as a complete word with its meaning and a short sentence instead of trying to force it into the rhyme.
Her belief in the plan grew slowly.
Can the vowel sound tell me whether to write ie or ei?
No. The same letter sequence can represent different sounds, and similar sounds can have different spellings. Science and height show why sound alone is not enough. Use pronunciation as one clue, then confirm the spelling with a dictionary or a reliable spell-checker.
The company tried to deceive its customers.
How can I remember difficult ie and ei words?
Group familiar words by a real pattern, such as receive, ceiling, and deceive after c. Keep exceptions such as seize in a personal word list. Write each word in a useful sentence and review it later, because a sentence links the spelling to the word's meaning.
Light entered through the ceiling.