Mark A Mandel <mam at theworld.com> writes: > Ooh! Ooh! I'm sorry, but Dr. Whom can't resist this pair: > > [attribution lost] > #>Yes, but the word was unbeleivable. > ** > That's unbelIEvable > -- > [Julie Alipaz] > # actually, inconcieveable > ** > And *that's* inconcEIveable > -- > > All together, now, class: > I before E, > except after C > or when pronounced "ay", > as in "neighbor" and "weigh". > > (Or any other time that it's followed by "gh", as in "height" > and in some other words that you just have to call exceptions, > like "seize".) I have seen a shorter and pithier version of this mnemonic, which seems to cover the case of English spelling quite well: I before E, Except when it isn't. -- David Dyer-Bennet, dd-b at dd-b.net / http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/ John Dyer-Bennet 1915-2002 Memorial Site http://john.dyer-bennet.net Dragaera mailing lists, see http://dragaera.info