I before E, except after C

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

In English words that contain the letters I and E together, the I tends to come before the E (ie), except in cases when the two are preceded by the letter C, in which case the E comes before the I (cei).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Trong tiếng Anh, I thường đứng trước E, trừ khi sau C

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “I before E, except after C” mean?

In English words that contain the letters I and E together, the I tends to come before the E (ie), except in cases when the two are preceded by the letter C, in which case the E comes before the I (cei).

Is “I before E, except after C” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.