Words Spelled With E Before I – EI and IE Spelling Lists

All 115 words

List 1: ei and ie, the first 20 (receive, field) 20

believe I believe the red team will win.
brief The mayor gave a brief speech.
ceiling A balloon drifted up to the ceiling.
chief Rain was the chief reason we stayed home.
eight The clock struck eight as we finished.
field Wild poppies dotted the hay field.
grief Losing the final caused the fans some grief.
neighbor A neighbor returned our runaway trash can.
niece My niece is learning to ride a bike.
piece Save me a piece of the lemon cake.
receipt The cashier stapled the receipt to the bag.
receive Winners receive a ribbon and a handshake.
reindeer A reindeer herd crossed the frozen river.
shield A dented shield hung above the fireplace.
sleigh The sleigh left two tracks across the pasture.
thief A raccoon is the thief in our garden.
vein A vein of gold ran through the rock.
weigh Grocers weigh the apples before bagging them.
weight The weight of the snow bent the branches.
yield The orchard should yield plenty of pears.

Show all 115 words (95 more)

List 2: ie says long e (priest, movie) 16

achieve You can achieve the goal with steady work.
belief It is my belief that practice helps.
brownie I traded my apple for a brownie.
collie The collie herded the sheep into the pen.
diesel The tractor runs on diesel.
genie A genie rose from the dusty lamp.
hygiene The dentist spoke to us about dental hygiene.
movie The movie starts right after the cartoon.
prairie A hawk circled over the open prairie.
priest The priest rang the chapel bell at noon.
relief The shade was a relief after the hike.
relieve A cold drink will relieve your thirst.
retrieve The dog swam out to retrieve the stick.
shriek The kettle gave a shriek on the stove.
siege The fort survived a siege of forty days.
wield A chef can wield a knife with great skill.

List 3: ie says long i (pie, tried) 15

cried The baby cried until the music began.
die Roll the die to see who goes first.
dried Mud dried on our boots during lunch.
flies The kite flies best in a steady wind.
fried Grandma fried the fish in a black skillet.
lie We lie on the grass and watch clouds.
magpie A magpie hopped across the wet lawn.
necktie He wore a necktie covered in tiny sailboats.
pie The pie cooled on the windowsill.
replied She replied to the invitation the same day.
skies Clear skies made the stars easy to see.
spied The lookout spied a sail on the horizon.
tie Campers tie food bags high in a tree.
tried We tried the new slide at the park.
untie You must untie the knot before pulling the string.

List 4: ei after c (deceive) 9

conceit His conceit made him hard to coach.
conceited The conceited rooster strutted around the yard.
conceive It is hard to conceive of a larger number.
deceit The fox in the fable is known for deceit.
deceitful The deceitful wolf dressed as a shepherd.
deceive The magician's props deceive the crowd.
inconceivable A world without music seems inconceivable.
perceive From the hill you can perceive the bay's curve.
receiver Hold the receiver close to hear the caller.

List 5: ei says long a (freight, veil) 11

beige Her beige scarf matched the sand.
eighteen The carton holds eighteen eggs.
feign The actor had to feign surprise on cue.
freight The freight was stacked on wooden pallets.
neighborhood Our neighborhood holds a block party each fall.
reign The king's reign began with a festival.
rein Pull the left rein to turn the horse.
skein She wound the skein of yarn into a ball.
surveillance The museum added a surveillance camera in the lobby.
unveil The artist will unveil the statue at noon.
veil A veil of mist hung over the lake.

List 6: ei that breaks the rule (weird, seize) 18

counterfeit The museum displayed a counterfeit coin.
either You may sit on either side of the table.
feisty A feisty wren chased the blue jay.
foreign The postcard carried a foreign stamp.
forfeit A team with too few players must forfeit.
heifer The young heifer won a ribbon at the fair.
height The tide reached its full height at noon.
heir The duke named his niece as heir.
kaleidoscope Colors tumbled inside the kaleidoscope.
leisure She paints in her leisure time.
neither I heard that neither twin likes mushrooms.
protein The label lists the protein in each serving.
seismic A seismic wave shook the measuring station.
seize You can seize the rope when it swings near.
sleight The magician's sleight of hand fooled us all.
sovereign The sovereign wore a crown of gold.
their Both teams wore their away jerseys.
weird The old radio made a weird buzzing sound.

List 7: ie after c, rule-breakers (science) 11

ancient The ancient oak is older than the town.
conscience My conscience told me to return the wallet.
deficient The soil was deficient in nutrients.
efficient An efficient packer fits everything in one bag.
glacier Meltwater streamed from the glacier.
proficient She became proficient at chess in a year.
science A science kit arrived in the mail.
scientist The scientist labeled every sample jar.
society The garden society meets every Tuesday.
species This species of frog lives in treetops.
sufficient One bucket of water is sufficient for the plants.

List 8: ie with other sounds (friend, view) 15

audience The audience clapped for the young pianist.
client The lawyer met a client at ten.
diet The zookeeper wrote down each animal's diet.
fierce A fierce wind rattled the shutters.
friend A true friend shares the last cookie.
handkerchief A spotted handkerchief was tied to the stick.
mischief The puppy got into mischief in the laundry room.
patient Be patient while the paint dries.
pier We fished from the end of the pier.
pierce The needle would not pierce the thick canvas.
quiet The pond was quiet before the frogs woke.
review We review our notes before each quiz.
sieve Sift the flour through a fine sieve.
soldier The toy soldier stood guard on the shelf.
view The view from the lighthouse was worth the climb.

How this list was compiled: Words chosen and sorted into 8 lists for Homeroom Tools. The choice, the sorting and the sentences are ours; no published list, program or workbook was opened or copied. THE RULE: the rhyme i before e, except after c, its longer form (or when sounded as a, as in neighbor and weigh), the short set of common words with cei (the verbs in -ceive, their forms such as receipt, deceit and conceit, and ceiling) and the advice in usage guides that the rhyme is for the long e sound were read on 9 October 2026 in Wikipedia, I before E except after C (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_before_E_except_after_C, CC BY-SA 4.0). A word is listed as a rule-breaker when it goes against the rhyme in that longer form: ei with no c before it and no long a sound, or ie right after c. SOUND AND SPELLING: every word was looked up on the same day in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q= plus the word) for its sound and for a second spelling on the headword line, and in Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/, CC BY-SA 4.0), where each has an English entry. Where the dictionary gives a word two pronunciations (either, neither, leisure, handkerchief and a few more), the lists go by the first. SOUND-ALIKES: ceiling (sealing), weigh (way), eight (ate), vein (vain, vane), sleigh (slay), weight (wait), piece (peace), pie (pi), tie (Thai), lie (lye), die (dye), veil (vale, vail), feign (fain), rein and reign (rain), seize (seas, sees), height (hight), sleight (slight), their (there, they're), heir (air), review (revue), pier (peer). The sentence read with the word settles which one is meant. LEFT OUT: cookie (also cooky), caffeine (also caffein), the rarer weir and feint, and names of people and places. GRADES: the lists suggested for 3rd grade are our choice and no standard's. The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Language, grade 3, standard 2f (use spelling patterns and generalizations in writing words) names no words and no rule (https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/3/, read 9 October 2026). Spellings are American. Licence: own work

How it works

Words spelled with e before i come in three kinds: ei after c (receive, ceiling), ei that says long a (weigh, vein), and rule-breakers such as weird and seize. All three are here beside the ie words, 115 words in 8 lists.

Read the full guide

I before e except after c spelling words, list by list

List 1 is a first 20 that all follow the rule: ten with ei, ten with ie. Lists 2 and 3 are ie as long e and long i: priest, pie. Lists 4 and 5 are ei after c and ei as long a: deceive, freight. Lists 6 and 7 hold the rule-breakers, ei first and then ie after c. List 8 is ie with other sounds: friend, view.

The ei after c set is small: receive, deceive, conceive, perceive, their forms receipt, deceit and conceit, and ceiling.

Questions and answers

What is the i before e except after c rule?

Write ie, as in field and piece, but ei right after c, as in receive and ceiling. A longer form of the rhyme adds: or when sounded as a, as in neighbor and weigh. Some usage guides limit it to the long e sound.

Which words break the i before e rule?

Two kinds. Ei with no c before it and no long a sound: weird, seize, either, neither, leisure, protein, height, foreign. And ie right after c: science, ancient, species, efficient, glacier. Lists 6 and 7 hold 29 of them.

Is it recieve or receive?

Receive. The pair comes right after c, so the e is first, as in receipt, deceive and ceiling. Believe has an l before the pair, so its i is first.

Which ie ei words suit a 3rd grade spelling list?

We suggest List 1, the 20 that follow the rule, then List 3 for ie as long i. The Common Core asks 3rd graders to use spelling patterns and generalizations and names no words, so the choice is ours.

Is there a spelling worksheet for ie ei words?

Each list prints four ways: a word list with sentences, a test sheet with numbered lines, an ABC order sheet and a missing letters sheet. The test sheet ends with a page for whoever reads the words out, the last two with their answers.