"I" before "e" except after “c”: Maybe, maybe not!

Most of us learned the spelling rule “i before e, except after c.” But, handy though it may be, it doesn't cover all bases. In fact, there are many exceptions!

Take a look at a more complete version of the rule:

i before e,
except after c (receive);
or when sounded as ay (weigh);
or when sounded as eye (height);
or when ing is added to a verb ending in e (cueing)

BUT

i before e even after c
if the c makes a sh sound (glacier);
or if the word is a comparative or superlative (fancier)

Now that you know the rule and most of its exceptions, see if you can determine which word is spelled correctly in the questions below.

1. I picked up my from the airport when she returned from her holiday in Nice.

niece

neice

2. “ must be the most boring colour there is, don’t you think?”

Biege

Beige

3. “The recipe a half-dozen muffins. Maybe we should double it.”

yeilds

yields

4. Mya had savings for a down payment, but not enough for renovations, too.

sufficeint

sufficient

5. The child put up a courageous fight against the bullies and succeeded in driving them off.

feisty

fiesty

6. “We’ll need copies of all your before we can reimburse you for your travel expenses.”

receipts

reciepts

7. “You can retire with the satisfaction of knowing that you had a long, successful as head of the company.”

reign

riegn

8. “These are the grapefruits I’ve ever eaten!”

juiceist

juiciest

9. is one of Jonah’s favourite summertime activities.

Canoieng

Canoeing

10. Marketing often aims to people into that they need a product or service.

deceive / believing

decieve / beleiving