Trivia of the Week: I Before E

Here is a poem that can help you remember how to spell certain English words.

I before E except after C
Or when sounded as A, as in “neighbor” and “weigh”

In words like “believe” or “pier” the letter I comes before the letter E. However, there are several exceptions which the poem also tells you. After a C, the E comes before the I (such as in “receive” or “deceive”). Another exception is in words where the vowel sound is like “neighbor” and “weigh”. Unfortunately, there are still exceptions to this rule, such as “weird”.

このポエムで、ある英単語のつづりを覚えることができます。

ＩはＥの前；例外はＣの後
あるいは「neighbor」（隣）や「weigh」（量る）みたいに「エ」の音をするとき

「Believe」（信じる）や「pier」（桟橋）などの単語では、Ｉの文字がＥの文字の前に来ます。しかし、いくつかの例外があることを、このポエムが教えてくれています。Ｃの後ならＥのほうが先です。（例：「receive」（受け取る）や「deceive」（だます）など）もう１つの例外は発音が「エ」の場合です。残念なことに、「weird」（変）など他にも例外があります。