The “I Before E Except After C” Spelling Quiz (2024)

The "ei" combo here forms a long "e" sound after the letter "c." An "ie" combo after the letter "c" would form a long "e" and then a short "e" sound so the word would be pronounced ra-see-ev-er instead of ra-see-ver.

Santa rides around in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. "Sleigh" and "eight" and "reindeer" all feature "e" before "i" without a "c" because the combination is used to produce a long "a" sound. Using an "i" before "e" in this instance would produce a long "i" sound like high or nigh.

The "ei" combo here is used to create a long "a" sound in the word "beige." In 2014, President Obama appeared for a press conference wearing a beige suit instead of the usual dark blue or black suit. According to some, this action put the country's national security at risk. No, they really thought that.

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Here we have a long "e" sound produced by the "ie" combination opposed to the "ei" combination used to produce the long "e" sound in "receiver." That's because the "ie" in "chiefs" appears after a "ch" not a "c."

The "ei" combination in the word "neither" can be used to produce either a long "i" or long "e" sound, depending on preference. For words that can be pronounced both ways, use "ei" before "c." Words with one pronunciation usually use "i" before "e."

Niece can only be pronounced one way (long e) so it uses "i" before "e." If the word had an alternate long "i" pronunciation, it would feature "e" before "i" like in "neither" or "either." The daughter of your brother, sister or sibling-in-law is known as your niece.

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The word cashier features the suffix "ier," which is a French variant of the "er" suffix that is used to individualize adjectives, nouns and verbs like six-footer, New Yorker or employer. The French variant forms words like cashier, brigadier or courier.

Here, the "ei" combo is used to produce a long "e" sound after "c" like in "receiver." The word is pronounced re-seet. It is a proof of purchase and is also used in slang speak to mean proof of wrongdoing or embarrassment.

If you need to produce just a long "e" sound before a consonant, follow the rule. Drivers for the delivery company UPS don't turn left since yielding takes so long. Some routes are lengthened because of this, but the company says it optimizes speed and prevents accidents.

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The easiest way to remember how to spell conscience is to split it up into two words (con + science) but you have to remember it is different from conscious. The "i before e except after c" rule doesn't work here given all the letter combinations that produce unique sounds.

This is a word that doesn't follow the rule. The "ei" combo is used to create a schwa or "uh" sound, which is marked by an upside down "e" in pronunciation guides. To forfeit means to lose something as a penalty. As a noun it defines a penalty.

The long "e" sound after the letter "c" is designated with an "ei" combo more often than not, like in "receiver" and "receipt." To deceive someone is to make them believe something that is untrue. A fox gets into the hen house by using deception.

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BFF stands for best friend forever, and the acronym rose in popularity during the mid-'90s even though the concept of a best friend has been around forever. The New Oxford American Dictionary listed the acronym in 2010.

This is confusing because the "ei" combination produces a long "i" sound and if you just remove the "sl" it will produce a long "a" sound, as in "eight." Slight is also a word and is pronounced the same way but it means small.

Here's another example of letter combinations producing such unique sounds that the "i before e" rule can be thrown out the window. Efficiency is the state of achieving maximum productivity. Inefficiency is the opposite.

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The "ei" combo creates a schwa pronounced "uh" but once you remove the "fo" it produces a long "a" sound, as in reign. These are the type of rules that make foreigners say English is a complicated language.

The Siege of Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Revolution and essentially ended the war. Over the course of three weeks, George Washington surrounded Yorktown with American and French troops and forced the British to surrender.

The combo here produces a long "i" sound and once the "h" is removed it produces a long "a" sound. The word height is pronounced like hight or hite. Hight is an archaic word and Hite is a South Korean beer brand.

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Weird is an adjective describing something that is uncanny or unusual. Wierd is not a word but is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language. Weir is a word and it defines a river dam and is pronounced similar to weird.

The word species is singular and plural. A species is described as the largest group of organisms where two members can sexually reproduce. Tigers are part of the Tigris species and lions are part of the Leo species but they can sexually reproduce with each other. Their offspring are tigons and ligers.

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights and were all proposed and ratified at the same time. The Fourth Amendment prohibits authorities from unlawfully searching and seizing property.

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Brief is a noun, verb and adjective and has many meanings from underwear to memos to time spans. To brief someone on a topic means to thoroughly explain it to them. Breif is not a word in English.

The earliest Egyptian pharaohs began ruling around 3200 BC, and from about 300 BC to 30 BC, the Ptolemaic dynasty held the throne. Cleopatra VII, along with her father, brother, brother-husband and son, ruled as last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. The Roman Empire took over in 30 BC.

A financier is someone who manages large amounts of money for others. John Pierpont Morgan helped form behemoths AT&T and General Electric, and his legacy lives on today, but historians argue that he was "only" worth $118 million.

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Society is the people, places, politics and government that make up a country. Humans create society and society then dictates how humans live. A complex society with social rungs and hierarchies is a civilization.

Sheik can be pronounced "sheek" or "shayk" and can be spelled several different ways and is a noun defining the leader of a tribe. It is also the title given to any male born into the royal family. Female royals are called sheikhas.

Women and minorities have been trying to shatter the glass ceiling forever, but the term was officially coined in 1978 by two women at Hewlett Packard and separately by a management consultant. By the mid-'80s, the term was mainstream.

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Priests are ministers within the Catholic, Orthodox or Anglican Church who have the authority to perform rites and rituals. The earliest priests and priestesses lived in Ancient Sumer. Each religion has different rules and regulations for priesthood.

A thief is a person who steals, usually by stealth, and there are many ways to steal. Someone who shoplifts is a thief. Someone who points a gun at a cashier is a robber. Someone who breaks in after hours is a burglar.

Veins are vessels that carry blood to the heart, and arteries are vessels that carry blood away from the heart. Capillaries are vessels that exchange blood between arteries and vessels. All three are essential for life.

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It's impossible to know how others perceive you, and the closest you can get is by looking in the mirror. Perception is the way one interprets or understands something. To perceive something is to form a certain understanding of it.

Queen Elizabeth II took over the British throne at the age of 25 when her father, Charles VI, died while she was on vacation in Kenya. She is the longest reigning queen in U.K. history. Her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales, will take the throne after her.

Patience and patients both sound the same and both use the "ie" vowel sounds but mean different things. Patients are people who receive medical treatment, and patience is the ability to remain calm amid delay.

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The earliest forms of writing were pictographs from Ancient Sumer and hieroglyphs in Ancient Egypt. Egyptian hieroglyphs consisted of more than 1,000 characters and were used until about 400 AD. Today, there are about 3,000 emojis listed in the Unicode Standard.

Relieved is an adjective that describes the moment when one no longer feels stressed or anxious. If you're running late for work and thinking of excuses in your head, you will feel really relieved when you arrive and realize everybody else is also late.