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OP As a child I learned the spelling rhyme:
“i" before “e”
except after “c”
or when sounding like “a”
as in neighbor and weigh.
This has helped me spell many words according to the recommended standard, including
(“i” before “e”)
wield, piedmont, lien, diesel
lenient, piece, mien, lieutenant
(except after “c”)
ceiling, conceit, receive
(or when sounding like “a”)
feint, neigh, sleigh
But there are words that don’t follow this rule, that don’t have a long “a” sound, and aren’t after a “c", such as
height (sounding like a long “i”)
seize (sounding like a long “e”)
sleight (sounding like a long “i”)
Is there some historical etymological reason behind these anomalies?
For that matter, is there some historical reason behind the “rule” in the rhyme?
(And does anyone know of exceptions that have an "ie" after "c"?)
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Spelling ie vs. ei Storysmith 11/01/16 09:48 PM Re: Spelling ie vs. ei LukeJavan8 11/01/16 11:22 PM Re: Spelling ie vs. ei wofahulicodoc 11/03/16 01:28 AM
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