List of words spelled “ei” and “ie”
The “i before e, except after c” rule
The “i before e, except after c” rule is a general guideline for spelling words in English. It means that in a combination of the letter i and e, we should write –ie-. Only after a letter c should we write –ei-.
-ie- words
- shield
- tie
- relieve
- piece
- friend
- believe
- field
- die
- lie
- yield
Here are some -ei- which follow the ‘ei after c’ rule
- ceiling
- receipt
- perceive
- receive
- conceit
It’s worth remembering that this rule is not perfect: there are many exceptions.
Here are some -ei- words which don’t follow the ‘ie only after c’ rule
- seize
- vein
- reins
- weight
- height
- weird
- foreign
- leisure
By reading and writing words often, you should get used to their correct spelling. As we can see, the “i before e, except after c” rule is only a rough guideline.
asasdasdad - November 23, 2024, 5:17 am
i dont see any c in your counter examples
Anonymous - October 23, 2025, 4:26 pm
I think it’s because they change to “ei” even though they don’t follow a “c”.
Anonymous - February 27, 2025, 4:03 pm
is there sleigh there
Anonymous - January 8, 2026, 8:00 pm
this is a very short list and i cant find the word i need