One of the best known spelling rules is:
But does this rule really work? Is it true ALL the time?
The answer is:
As with most spelling rules, it works MOST of the time - but not always.
This Unit teaches you when to use ie and when to use ei.
|First, take a look at these words.
They all have the long /ē/ sound:
|ie as in field||ei as in receipt|
1) Words marked * are homophones. Please see page 9
2) The /ē/ sound on the end of a word is usually spelled with the letter y but it can be ie.
a) Shortened words e.g.
b) 'Pet' names e.g.
c) Slang words e.g.
d) Other words e.g.
|Look at the words in each list.
You will see that, for these words with the long /ē/ sound, this rule DOES work:
|Take a test in these words.|