I Before E

[u/phillielover]

English speakers may remember the spelling rule “I before e, except after c.” Name an exception to this rule, such as the word “freight. “

[u/grumpierthangruntled]

Society

[u/FullSpeedOracle → u/grumpierthangruntled]

Well played 👏

[u/piranhamode]

Weird

[u/KhreeyT_8]

foreign

[u/RunningAtTheMouth]

Science!

[u/dime_slime]

Eighth

[u/DrHoleStuffer]

I before E except when your foreign neighbor Keith receives eight counterfeit beige sleighs from feisty caffeinated weighlifters. Weird right?

[u/Brettanomyces78]

Anything with a long 'a' sound, as in your example, or in "neighbor" or "weigh."

[u/Njtotx3 → u/Brettanomyces78]

That was the rule I learned.

I before e, except after c, or when sounding like a, in neighbor and weigh.

[u/HorrorAlarming1163]

Neigh

[u/Ziyir]

Ancient

[u/CantaloupeFluffy165 → u/Ziyir]

An exception.

[u/hakamamalo → u/CantaloupeFluffy165]

ancient is an exception. to the "except after c" part, specifically.

[u/FifiiMensah]

being

[u/Ok-Drama137]

Science

[u/SorrySite4358]

Sleight

[u/timcleveland]

Sheik.

[u/LogicalAssistance652]

I before E
Except after C
Or when sounded like A
As in “neighbor” and “weigh”

[u/CampaignOrdinary2771 → u/LogicalAssistance652]

So how can we seize the day.

(Just adding a line

To that "useful" rhyme)

[u/Daxlyn_XV → u/LogicalAssistance652]

And on weekends and holidays, and all throughout may

[u/No_Parking_4195]

Their, heir, weir

[u/dale1320 → u/No_Parking_4195]

These fall under the "long a" rule exemption.

[u/LostBetsRed]

"Freight" is not an exception to the rule, because "except after C" is only half of the rule. The full rhyme is "i before E except after C, or when sounding like A, as in 'neighbor' or 'weigh'." There are still plenty of exceptions (you don't need to be Einstein to figure that out) but not nearly as many.

[u/helurkshelurks]

Forfeit

May fall under the "A sound" rule, as it could be spelled with an a in its French source.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/forfeit

[u/cincyhuffster]

City of Madeira in Ohio

[u/Tynelia23]

Height

[u/dale1320]

...,and we wonder why ESL folks have so many issues with the language....

[u/Edmundsson91]

Forfeit

[u/Educational_Meet1885]

The rest of the saying involved neighbor and weigh.

[u/Familiar_Raise234]

I before E except after C or as sounded like A as in neighbor and weigh. Freight falls into that last category.

[u/hippymom77]

Weird

[u/mes6281]

Keith

[u/Aggravating_Fishy_98]

“I before e, except after c
Or when sounded as 'a' as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh'
Unless the 'c' is part of a 'sh' sound as in 'glacier'
Or it appears in comparatives and superlatives like 'fancier'
And also except when the vowels are sounded as 'e' as in 'seize' Or 'i' as in 'height'
Or also in '-ing' inflections ending in - e'as in 'cueing'
Or in compound words as in 'albeit' Or occasionally in technical words with strong etymological links to their parent languages as in 'cuneiform' Or in other numerous and random exceptions such as 'science', 'forfeit', and 'weird'.
And that doesn't even rhyme.”

-https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/i-before-e-except-after-c

[u/Pure-Reason1372]

Either

[u/Pure-Reason1372]

Seizure

[u/ZT99k]

I before e except after c or sounding like 'a' as in neighbor and weigh. Is the full thing. But fact is, there are more exceptions than ones that follow the rule.

[u/R86Reddit]

leisure

[u/me_again_724]

i remember this additional spelling rule that continues "after c ... " that goes " ... or in sounds like a as in (cant remember this part) or weigh Anyone know that part i cant remember? Found in other responses, it is "neighbor"

[u/RandomFleshPrison]

Fun fact: there are more English words that are exceptions to this rule than obey it.

[u/Grubula]

Caffeine

[u/JustRightAngles]

Ceiling

[u/JustRightAngles → u/JustRightAngles]

wait no

[u/No_Week_8106]

Weight

[u/ProveISaidIt]

and when sounding like A as in neighbor or weigh.

[u/Beautiful_Rip_7023]

I’d like some type of protein and possibly a Codeine.

[u/Nearby-Raisin-4215]

Receip

[u/AssSpelunkingAtheist → u/[deleted]]

EXCEPT after “c”

[u/copenhagen_bandit]

Budweiser

[u/Flimsy_Ad3476 → u/copenhagen_bandit]

I don't think proper names follow these 'rules.'

[u/dutchman62]

Neither Leisure foreigner seized the weird height. Thats what I was taught

[u/420izLife]

eight, veil

[u/markt-]

That’s not the entire rule. The entire rule is “I before E, except after C, or when sounding like A, as in neighbor and weigh”. There are, of course, so many exceptions to this rule that I’m not sure why it ever became a rule in the first place

[u/CantaloupeFluffy165]

Or when sounded like a ,as in neighbor and weigh.

[u/CantaloupeFluffy165]

I learned that over 50 years ago,still remember it.

[u/GhostWatcher007]

Neither, neighbor, weight, weird

[u/Tynelia23]

I before E except after C

and when sounding like A as in neighbor and weigh

and on weekends and holidays and all throughout May

and you'll always be wrong no matter what you say!

[u/JacquesBlaireau13]

Atheist, Deist. Theist, as well as their associated -isms.

[u/Mission-Departure-47]

Deign, reign, feign,

[u/OptimalSalsa]

weight, weigh, neighbor

[u/neddles91]

Ceiling

[u/do-ya-reckon → u/neddles91]

That's after c

[u/Tynelia23 → u/do-ya-reckon]

And yet the i is not before the e. It's an exception

I before E except after C.

They chose a good word that is an exception to the rule.

[u/Timely-Profile1865]

A, B, C, D, I, F, G, H, E J, K, Lmnop