Spelling ie and ei
words: rule breakers
 |
Unit 9 covered the rules for adding suffixes to
words ending in y, e.g. |
1) When adding a suffix to a word ending y, we usually change
the y to i:
| cry + ed = cried |
copy + er = copier |
crazy + est = craziest |
| beauty + ful = beautiful |
silly + ness = silliness |
2) If the suffix is s, we must change the y to i
and then add es:
| cry + s = cries |
copy + s = copies |
party + s = parties |
If the root word ends in -cy, adding a suffix may give you
-cies.
Some examples:
| agency + s |
agencies |
| emergency + s |
emergencies |
| vacancy + s |
vacancies |
| fancy + ed |
fancied |
| fancy + er |
fancier |
The " i before e, except
after c " rule does not apply if the ie is
part of a suffix.
| In a few words the long /ē/
sound is spelled ei even though there is no c: |
| protein |
Protein is found in
meat, fish and cheese. |
| seize* |
A thief seized my mother's
purse. |
| weir* |
A weir is a dam or
a man-made waterfall. |
| weird |
I heard a very weird
noise in the night. |
|
Some proper nouns (names of people or places)
use ei to spell
the long /ē/
sound:
| Keith |
Neil |
Sheila |
Leigh |
Leith |
|
| A mixture of odd ei words: |
| foreign |
We love foreign travel. |
| sovereign |
A reigning king or queen is
a sovereign. |
| forfeit |
To forfeit means to
give up. |
| counterfeit |
Counterfeit bank notes
have been forged. |
| eiderdown |
The quilt is filled with feathers
from the eider duck. |
| height |
The height of the Eiffel
Tower is 300m. |
| either |
You can have either
of these two cakes. |
| neither |
Neither of these dresses
fits me. |
| heir* / heiress |
The heir to his fortune
will be very rich. |
| leisure |
In my leisure time
I enjoy swimming. |
|
| In these cie words, ci makes the
sound /sh/ : |
| ancient |
Greece has many ancient
ruins. |
| efficient |
An efficient machine
works well. |
| proficient |
A proficient person
does his job well. |
| sufficient |
Have you sufficient
money for a cab home? |
| conscience |
My conscience is completely
clear. |
|
| For more on ci saying /sh/, please
see Unit 30. |
Look again at the rule:
 |
Given the number of words that don’t follow the basic i before e except after c rule, the best thing you can do is to use Spellzone to learn the words that contain ei or ie! |
You have not completed Learn the Words activities for the word list on this page.
A final check on
ie and ei words.
