ei after c for the /iː/ sound
Year group: 5/6
Source: DfE, English Appendix 1: Spelling, National Curriculum for England (2013) — Years 5–6
Curriculum requirement: Statutory
Purpose: Years 5–6 guide to ei after c — the rule and its exceptions, statutory examples, and practice activities for upper KS2.
The rule
The traditional rhyme — "i before e except after c" — applies specifically when the sound is /iː/ (a long "ee" sound).
When the sound is /iː/ and follows c: spell it ei
receive, perceive, conceive, deceive, ceiling
When the sound is /iː/ and does NOT follow c: spell it ie
believe, achieve, relief, piece, field
The important qualifier: this rule only applies when the sound is /iː/. When the ei or ie makes a different sound, a different pattern applies (see below).
ei after c — the core examples
| Word | Root meaning |
|---|---|
| receive | Latin recipere — to take back |
| perceive | Latin percipere — to understand through the senses |
| conceive | Latin concipere — to form an idea; to become pregnant |
| deceive | Latin decipere — to mislead |
| ceiling | Old French ciel (sky) — the indoor sky |
All five are statutory Y5/6 words. Note: all except ceiling are from Latin -cipere (to take/grasp) — they are a word family.
ie when NOT after c (/iː/ sound)
| Word | |
|---|---|
| believe | |
| achieve | |
| relief | |
| piece | |
| field | |
| shield | |
| yield | |
| brief | |
| thief | |
| grief | |
| niece | |
| chief |
Exceptions — when ei makes a different sound
The rule only applies to the /iː/ sound. Many common words use ei for other sounds — these are NOT exceptions to the rule, they are simply outside its scope:
| Word | Sound | Category |
|---|---|---|
| eight | /eɪ/ | number |
| weight | /eɪ/ | heaviness |
| height | /aɪ/ | tallness |
| their | /eə/ | belonging to them |
| vein | /eɪ/ | blood vessel |
| rein | /eɪ/ | strap for a horse |
| reign | /eɪ/ | a monarch's rule |
| neighbour | /eɪ/ | person next door |
| sleigh | /eɪ/ | a snow sled |
Genuine exceptions to the i-before-e rule (/iː/ sound but NOT following c)
Some words have ei making the /iː/ sound without following c. These are genuine exceptions that must be learned individually:
| Word | Note |
|---|---|
| seize | to grab |
| protein | a nutrient |
| caffeine | a stimulant |
| either | one or the other (can also be /aɪ/) |
| neither | not one or the other |
| weird | strange |
| seize | to grab suddenly |
These words cannot be predicted by rule — they must be learned.
Etymology note
The i before e except after c rule reflects a real pattern in words from French and Latin that entered English after 1066. In French, the -ceive words (recevoir, percevoir) all had the ei pattern after c. The -ieve words (croire, achiever) had the ie pattern. When English absorbed these, the spelling patterns came too. The rule is not arbitrary — it records the French spelling system that was imposed on English after the Norman Conquest.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| recieve | receive | ei after c |
| percieve | perceive | ei after c |
| decieve | deceive | ei after c |
| beleive | believe | ie not after c |
| acheive | achieve | ie not after c |
| cieling | ceiling | ei after c |
| wierd | weird | genuine exception — must be memorised |
Word sort
Sort by whether the -ei- or -ie- follows c or not.
Words: receive · believe · perceive · achieve · ceiling · relief · conceive · field · deceive · piece · seize · chief · grief
| ei after c | ie (not after c) | Exception (must memorise) |
|---|---|---|
Dictation sentences
- She could not conceive of a reason to deceive her closest friend.
- The ceiling of the cave was so low that she had to perceive her way by touch.
- He did not believe the team would achieve such a remarkable relief in the final minutes.
- To receive a prize is a great honour; to seize one dishonestly is another matter entirely.
- She found the novel weird but compelling — she could not put it down for a moment's relief.
Source: DfE English Appendix 1: Spelling (2013). The i-before-e rule is explicitly cited in the Years 5–6 statutory content with the examples: receive, conceive, deceive, perceive, ceiling, and the exceptions: protein, caffeine, seize.