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Additionally, we’ll delve into the origins of this rule and how it has evolved over time.
You may have encountered the phrase "I before E except after C" during your school years, and you’re likely aware that it has plenty of exceptions. So many, in fact, that it can be tough to keep track of them all! That’s why we’re here. In this article, we’ll break down the "i before e except after c" rule, explore its numerous exceptions, and discuss its origins—plus why English spelling can be such a challenge in the first place.
Understanding the "I Before E Except After C" Rule
The phrase "I before E except after C" is a helpful mnemonic designed to remind English speakers of the spelling pattern for words with "ie" or "ei." It works for words like "believe" or "ceiling," but there are many exceptions, which makes the rule less universally applicable.
Steps
What does the phrase “I before E except after C” mean?
This rhyme is a memory aid for spelling words that contain “ie” or “ei” in English. It’s a type of mnemonic device—a strategy that helps you recall information. According to the rule, most English words with “i” and “e” next to each other should be spelled as “ie” unless they follow the letter “c,” in which case the spelling becomes “cei.”
- Example: In “friend,” the “i” precedes the “e” because there is no “c” before them.
- Example: In “ceiling,” the “e” comes before the “i” because the letters follow a “c.”
Is the “I before E except after C” rule accurate?
Not entirely; there are numerous exceptions to this rule. In fact, so many exceptions exist that some question whether the rule should even be considered a rule. A study of 350,000 English words revealed that around 75% of words with “ie” or “ei” combinations follow the “I before E” rule, but only about 25% adhere to the “except after C” part!
- Some suggest shortening the rule to simply “I usually comes before E,” as the “except after C” portion is inaccurate more often than not.
The rhyme has been revised to be more accurate, though it’s still far from perfect. In 1880, linguists tried to fix the inconsistencies by updating the rhyme to say, “I before E except after C, or when sounded as ‘A’ as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh.’” This version is an improvement, as it allows words like “freight” and “vein” to follow the rule, but there are still far too many exceptions to fit into a simple rhyme. The Merriam-Webster dictionary humorously noted that the full version of the rhyme should be:
- I before E, except after C
Or when sounded as A as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh'
Unless the C is part of a 'sh' sound as in 'glacier'
Or it appears in comparatives and superlatives like 'fancier'
And also except when the vowels are sounded as E as in 'seize'
Or I as in 'height'
Or also in '-ing' inflections ending in '-e' as in 'cueing'
Or in compound words as in 'albeit'
Or occasionally in technical words with strong etymological links to their parent languages as in 'cuneiform'
Or in other numerous and random exceptions such as 'science', 'forfeit', and 'weird'. - The full version of the rhyme is so over-the-top that it’s inspired a popular “I before E except after C” meme template, where users humorously create their own explanations using words that defy the rule (for example, “...except when your foreign neighbors Keith and Heidi seize their eight sleights from feisty weightlifters”).
Examples of the Rule
“I before E…” Many common words in English follow the first part of the rule, “I before E.” Here are a few examples you may encounter regularly:
- Achieve
- Believe
- Field
- Relieved
- Shriek
- Tier
- Yield
“...except after C.” There are also several familiar words that follow the “except after C” rule. However, note that the number of exceptions far outweighs these words—by nearly three to one:
- Conceit
- Deceit
- Inconceivable
- Perceive
- Receipt
- Receive
- Transceiver
Exceptions to the Rule
Words containing “cie” with a “sh” or “s” sound One set of exceptions includes words where “cie” is used to represent a “sh” sound (like in “glacier”) or an “s” sound (like in “society”). Some examples of these exceptions include:
- Ancient
- Conscience
- Deficiency
- Efficient
- Policies (the plural form of words ending in “-cy,” such as “policy,” often change to a “-cies” spelling)
- Science
- Species
- Sufficient
Words with “ei” producing a long “a” sound As the extended rhyme explains (“...or when sounded as ‘A’ as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh’”), some words are spelled with E before I, despite the absence of a preceding C:
- Beige
- Eight
- Feign
- Freight
- Heinous
- Neigh
- Reign
- Sleigh
Words with “ei” creating an “I” or “eye” sound Some words, like “heist,” use E before I and are pronounced with a short A or “eye” sound. Here are more examples:
- Apartheid
- Fahrenheit
- Feist
- Feisty
- Height
- Kaleidoscope
- Meiosis
- Poltergeist
- Seismic
Words with “ei” producing a long “e” sound Certain “ei” words are pronounced with an “ee” sound and are spelled with E before I even if there’s no C beforehand, as in “seize.” More examples include:
- Achieve
- Caffeine
- Either
- Leisure
- Neither
- Pleistocene
- Protein
- Weird
Adding suffixes to words ending in “-cy” When you append suffixes like “-er” or “-est” to words ending in “-cy” (like “juicy”), you end up with spellings that defy the rule (e.g., “juicier” or “juiciest”). Check out these examples:
- Icier, iciest (from “icy”)
- Lacier, laciest (from “lacy”)
- Saucier, sauciest (from “saucy”)
- Spicier, spiciest (from “spicy”)
Where did the saying “I before E except after C” originate?
The origin of the rule dates back to 1866 in the Manual of English Spelling by James Stuart Laurie. However, earlier versions of the saying had been circulating for a while. English is a language with a notoriously inconsistent orthography (meaning the spelling and pronunciation of many words don't follow standardized patterns). As a result, linguists and grammarians sought to create rules to make learning spelling simpler. While the phrase “I before E except after C” is memorable, it unfortunately allows for a lot of exceptions.
- Extensions such as the 1880 modification, “...or when sounded as ‘A’ as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh’,” aimed to improve the rule’s accuracy, but English's complex linguistic influences are too varied to capture in one catchy rhyme.
What makes English spelling so tricky?
English incorporates words from numerous languages, causing irregularities. When the Romans invaded Britain in the 1st century AD, they blended their Latin language and alphabet with Brittonic, a Celtic language spoken in the British Isles. Then, the Angles and Saxons brought their Germanic influence in the 7th century, further altering the language. In the 9th century, the Vikings brought Old Norse, reshaping the language even more.
- The final major external influence occurred when the Norman French conquered England in 1066, replacing much of the existing vocabulary with French terms (words like “etiquette” or “ballet” have French origins).
- Later, during the “Age of Exploration,” the British Empire’s expansion introduced words from Africa, India, the Americas, and beyond into English.
- This blending of linguistic influences is the reason why English spelling rules are often inconsistent and why words that look alike may be pronounced differently (such as “though” and “through”).
