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This has to be another one of the all-time favourite errors people make.

I learnt from a very young age to say the rhyme, "I before E, except after C!", and you know what? I still use it today when I'm writing! That's right - it has stuck with me through quite a few decades, and has been a great tool for me over the years.

Examples:

My sister's daughter is my niece.

Psst! Remember how to spell niece by saying, "Nice niece!" ... which means write the *i* in *nice* before the *e*.

Remember this phrase:

 I before e except after c
Or sounding like A
As in NEIGHBOUR and WEIGH
But LEISURE and SEIZE
Do as they please.


i before e

e before i

ancient
deficient
patient
conscience
achieve
believe
brief
field
yield
shield
proficient
efficient
niece
pierce
fierce
 
conceit
eight
either
feint
height
neighbour
perceive
weigh
reign
receipt
seize
their
weird
foreign
leisure

 

 


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