i Before e

• 3rd grade
• 4th grade
• 5th grade
• CCSS L.4.2d
• CCSS L.5.2e
• CCSS L.3.2f

You may know the rhyme: "i before e, except after c, or when sounding like a, as in neighbor and weigh." It's useful, but it has a lot of exceptions. Here's the reliable version: ie for the long e sound (piece, field), ei after c (receive) and ei for the long a sound (eight).

The rule, made reliable

The rhyme works best when the letters say long e, as in see. Then it's usually ie: piece, field, believe, chief, niece, thief. Right after a c, it flips to ei: receive, ceiling, receipt, deceive.

When the letters say long a, as in day, it's ei: eight, weigh, neighbor, vein, sleigh. Many other words, like their, weird, seize, either, science and friend, don't follow the rhyme at all, so they're learned as tricky words.

In 4th and 5th grade, kids are expected to spell grade-level words correctly and check a dictionary when unsure (L.4.2d, L.5.2e). For other common spelling traps, see commonly misspelled words.

ie and ei words

Listen to the sound the two letters make.

Words where y changed to i, like cried and babies, aren't really part of this rule. See change y to i.

ie and ei in sentences

The ie or ei is highlighted.

1. May I have a piece of cake?
2. We played in the field.
3. Did you receive my letter?
4. Look at the ceiling.
5. I have eight marbles.
6. Our neighbor has a dog.
7. I believe you.
8. That is a weird sound.
9. The thief ran away.
10. Their house is blue.

Examples 8 and 10, weird and their, are exceptions to learn by heart.

How to teach i before e

Five short steps, about 10 minutes each.

1. Listen to the sound. Long e (piece) or long a (eight)?
2. Long e? Think ie. piece, field, believe.
3. After c? Flip it. receive, ceiling.
4. Long a? Use ei. eight, weigh, neighbor.
5. Keep a tricky list. their, weird, seize, either: practice in writing.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Practice: i before e quiz

10 questions. Your child can tap the speaker to hear a question read aloud. The first try on each question counts toward the score.

1. 1.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   piece peice pice
   Show answer

   piece.

2. 2.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   receive recieve receve
   Show answer

   receive.

3. 3.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   eight ieght aight
   Show answer

   eight.

4. 4.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   believe beleive beleve
   Show answer

   believe.

5. 5.Which word follows the after c part of the rule?

   🔈
   ceiling field
   Show answer

   ceiling.

6. 6.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   their thier ther
   Show answer

   their.

7. 7.Tap the word with ie.

   🔈

   We ran across the field.

   Show answer

   field.

8. 8.Which spelling is right?

   🔈
   weird wierd weerd
   Show answer

   weird.

9. 9.What sound does ei make in neighbor?

   🔈
   long a long e
   Show answer

   Long a.

10. 10.Which spelling is right?

    🔈
    chief cheif chef
    Show answer

    chief.

i Before e worksheet (free PDF)

i Before e Worksheet, 3rd–5th grade

Fill in ie or ei, sort words by pattern, fix common misspellings and write sentences with tricky words. Prints on US Letter paper, with an answer key.

Download the PDF

Try it at home

• Sound first: long e or long a?
• Piece of pie: both have ie. A memory trick!
• Tricky list: their, weird, seize, either on the fridge.
• Dictionary check: look up words you're unsure of.
• Proofread: check ie and ei words in writing.

What comes next

Next: commonly misspelled words. Earlier: change y to i. All rules: spelling rules for kids.

Last reviewed: November 11, 2026

Questions parents ask