The Kids First Blog

For example, these words follow this rule:

• Receive
• Deceive
• Ceiling
• Receipt

They make the same ‘ee’ sound as other words that use an ‘ie’ combination, such as:

• Achieve
• Believe
• Chief 
• Piece

It is the ‘c’ that makes the ‘i’ and the ‘e’ say ‘see’….

Some children remember this rule by learning that, when a ‘c’ comes before an ‘i’ and ‘e’, it ‘makes the letters swap spots’.

Of course, as is always the case with the English language, there are a few exceptions!

Sometimes words that make the ‘ay’ sound also fit the ‘i’ before ‘e’ rule.

• Beige
  
• Neighbour
• Vein
• Weight

And let’s not go there with words like weird, seize, foreign and caffeine that kids just have to learn as well!

When supporting your children with spelling rules, little tips like these act as problem-solvers. Your child can ask ‘does the word make the ‘ee’ sound?’ and if it does, there’s a good chance the ‘e’ comes before the ‘i’ if a ‘c’ is in the mix.

English! What a crazy language!

Contact Kids First today to discover how your primary schooler can get the support of a qualified teacher in our after school Reading, Spelling and Writing groups.

Kids First’s Speech Pathologists also provide one to one support for children with specific language and literacy challenges.

Phone our northern beaches based team on (02) 9938 5419 or email us here