I Before E, Except After C

"I before e, except after c" is an easy way to remember how to spell words like achieve (which was misspelled "acheive" in the job ad on www.logos.com), believe, and piece when the ie makes an "ee" sound. When the pronunciation is an "ay" sound, the vowels are reversed, as in neighbor, eight, or weigh.

If the word has a c, the spelling is ei and makes an "ee" sound, as in receive and conceit.

Here are some notable exceptions to the spelling/pronuciation guidelines (yes, unlike God's absolutes, grammar rules are made to be broken):

• Sovereign
• Conscience
• Neither
• My own last name—Gielczyk follows the i before e pattern, but not the pronunciation. It is pronounced "ghel-check" and forms a feminine rhyme with spellcheck (that is, both syllables of the words rhyme).