"'I' before 'E' except after 'C' (and sometimes 'Y')

[Delta4Embassy]

Do they still teach that? Thought occurs it's not actually entirely true. Reading just now I noted the word 'caffeine' violates this catchy thing.

Googling for more such words, there are quite a few:

Category:English words not following the I before E except after C rule - Wiktionary


* agreeing
* albeit
* Alzheimer's
* atheism

B

* beige
* Beijing
* being

C

* caffeine

D

* deicide
* deify
* deign
* deindustrialize
* deity
* disagreeing
* dreeing
* dreidel

E

* eight
* either

F

* Fahrenheit
* feign
* feisty
* foreign
* foreseeing
* forfeit
* freight

G

* geitost
* gesundheit

H

* heifer
* height
* heinous


H cont.

* heir
* heist
* herein

I

* inveigle

K

* kaleidoscope
* keister

L

* lei
* leisure

M

* meiosis

N

* neigh
* neighbor
* neighbour
* neither

O

* obeisance
* obeisancies
* onomatopoeia

P

* peine
* protein

R

* reign
* reignite
* reimburse
* rein
* reindeer
* reindustrialize
* reinforce
* reinstall
* reinvest
* reisolate
* reissue

S

* safeish


S cont.

* scarabaeid
* schlockmeister
* seeing
* seignorial
* seine
* seismic
* seize
* sensei
* sheik
* skein
* sleigh
* sleight
* sovereign
* stein
* surfeit
* surveillance

T

* their
* theism
* therein

V

* veil
* vein

W

* weigh
* weight
* weir
* weird
* wherein
* whereinto

X

* xanthein

Z

* zeitgeist
* zootheism

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Agreeing is not an ie word, it just looks like one to idiots.

The actual rule is I before E, except after C, or when pronounced as an A as in neighbor or weigh.

That said, there are hundreds of actual exceptions that don't fit into the rule as I posted it, which is why only idiots use it.

 

[MHunterB]

" I before E, except after C - or when sounded as 'A' as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh'....."

Yes, English is full of exceptions to just about every one of its 'rules' : )) Probably because of this characteristic:


"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
--James D. Nicoll

 

[psikeyhackr]

Weird Science

 

[Inevitable]

Do they still teach that? Thought occurs it's not actually entirely true. Reading just now I noted the word 'caffeine' violates this catchy thing.

Googling for more such words, there are quite a few:

Category:English words not following the I before E except after C rule - Wiktionary


* agreeing
* albeit
* Alzheimer's
* atheism

B

* beige
* Beijing
* being

C

* caffeine

D

* deicide
* deify
* deign
* deindustrialize
* deity
* disagreeing
* dreeing
* dreidel

E

* eight
* either

F

* Fahrenheit
* feign
* feisty
* foreign
* foreseeing
* forfeit
* freight

G

* geitost
* gesundheit

H

* heifer
* height
* heinous


H cont.

* heir
* heist
* herein

I

* inveigle

K

* kaleidoscope
* keister

L

* lei
* leisure

M

* meiosis

N

* neigh
* neighbor
* neighbour
* neither

O

* obeisance
* obeisancies
* onomatopoeia

P

* peine
* protein

R

* reign
* reignite
* reimburse
* rein
* reindeer
* reindustrialize
* reinforce
* reinstall
* reinvest
* reisolate
* reissue

S

* safeish


S cont.

* scarabaeid
* schlockmeister
* seeing
* seignorial
* seine
* seismic
* seize
* sensei
* sheik
* skein
* sleigh
* sleight
* sovereign
* stein
* surfeit
* surveillance

T

* their
* theism
* therein

V

* veil
* vein

W

* weigh
* weight
* weir
* weird
* wherein
* whereinto

X

* xanthein

Z

* zeitgeist
* zootheism

yes, standard English language rules. I before E except after C and when pronounced as an A as in neighbor and weigh, except when that rule doesn't apply witchis for hundreds of words, so the rule has no point