The rhyme “i before e, except after c” helps with many words that have an “ee” sound: believe, piece, field, but receive, ceiling, deceive.
Some common words break the rule, so learn them separately: weird, seize, protein, and words where ei sounds like “ay”, such as eight, neighbour and weigh.
Friend is another tricky word: it has ie, and you can remember it with “I'll be a friend to the end”.
Worked example
Which is correct: recieve or receive?
- The letters come straight after c.
- After c, use ei.
Answer:receive
Key words
- rule
- a pattern that usually works
- exception
- a word that breaks the rule
- vowel sound
- the sound a vowel makes in a word
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: L.4.2d