Top definition
A more complete rule is:
"i" before "e" except
- after "c",
- in words where it sounds like long "a", or
- in words that are weird or foreign,
- and scientific words often do not follow the rules.
"i" goes before "e" in words like the following: believe, chief, field, niece, relief, sieve, and yield.
Some exceptions containing the long "a" are the usually-noted neighbor and weigh. Some more are: freight, vein, veil, geisha, sheik, and dreidel. The last three fall under the "foreign" clause even if you like to pronounce them with a long "e" sound.
The word weird is weird. 'nuff said.
The word foreign is, well, foreign. So are recent arrivals to the language, such as leisure and its ilk, from French*, and sheila, an Aussie slang word for "girl".
The word science doesn't follow the original "except after-c" rule. And caffeine, codeine, protein, and other words with the "-eine" or "-ein" ending and a long "e" sound are other scientific exceptions in the other direction.
* TheFreeDictionary notes that leisure comes from Middle English, from Norman French leisour, from Old French leisir meaning "to be permitted", from Latin licre. In terms of language, this is recent. At least, it is recent enough that the spelling has not changed to match the rule. Of course, you might be rightfully getting the impression that this rule is not much of a rule, given the hefty list of exceptions.
But then again, this is the English language. 'nuff said.
"i" before "e" except
- after "c",
- in words where it sounds like long "a", or
- in words that are weird or foreign,
- and scientific words often do not follow the rules.
"i" goes before "e" in words like the following: believe, chief, field, niece, relief, sieve, and yield.
Some exceptions containing the long "a" are the usually-noted neighbor and weigh. Some more are: freight, vein, veil, geisha, sheik, and dreidel. The last three fall under the "foreign" clause even if you like to pronounce them with a long "e" sound.
The word weird is weird. 'nuff said.
The word foreign is, well, foreign. So are recent arrivals to the language, such as leisure and its ilk, from French*, and sheila, an Aussie slang word for "girl".
The word science doesn't follow the original "except after-c" rule. And caffeine, codeine, protein, and other words with the "-eine" or "-ein" ending and a long "e" sound are other scientific exceptions in the other direction.
* TheFreeDictionary notes that leisure comes from Middle English, from Norman French leisour, from Old French leisir meaning "to be permitted", from Latin licre. In terms of language, this is recent. At least, it is recent enough that the spelling has not changed to match the rule. Of course, you might be rightfully getting the impression that this rule is not much of a rule, given the hefty list of exceptions.
But then again, this is the English language. 'nuff said.
by LaWeezel November 13, 2006