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Unit 21: Spelling the ie and ei words 'i before e except after c'
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Unit 21: The i before e rule – does it work?

Unit StartPage 1: Words that follow the best-known rule 'i before e except after c': ie and ceiCourse Test: Spelling test: ie and ceiPage 3: Spelling test: ie and ceiCourse Test: Long /a/ sound: ei words. Spelling test. A new rule.Page 5: Long /a/ sound: ei words. Spelling test. A new rule.Page 6: Long /a/ sound: ei words. Spelling test. A new rule.Course Test: Final spelling testPage 8: Final spelling testPage 9: HomophonesUnit End

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Spelling ie and ei words

You skipped the test.

Teaching point - learning to spell Now that you have seen all these examples of ie and ei words, we need to look again at the rule :
" i before e, except after c "

It is clear that this rule does not apply to words with the long
vowel sound /ā/.

A better version of the rule is:

Spelling rule, i before e except after c

Even then, there are some rule-breakers which need special care.

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