"I Before E Except After C" is a song that appears in the 1969 film A Boy Named Charlie Brown. It was written by John Scott Trotter.
In the song, Charlie Brown is trying to memorize rules which will help in the spelling-bee in which he is to compete. Linus comes in to help Charlie Brown study by singing this song. Snoopy accompanies the song by playing a Jew's harp, which appears again later in the movie on the bus ride home and during school.
Lyrics[]
- This is one rule I must remember.
- I before E except after C
- Or when sounded like A as in Neighbor and Weigh.
- Words ending in I, E
- Drop the E and change the I to Y before adding
- I-N-G.
- I before E except after C
- Let's see:
- I before E except after H,
- No, I after E After C –
- I before E after -
- No, E before I after C!
- When a word has a C for an ending,
- Like Frolic,
- Or Colic?
- Or Comic, and Mimic, and Picnic,
- You always add a K before appending!
- Huh?
- You know, sticking an E or I or Y –
- Oh sure!
- For example – Colicky, Frolicker, Picnicker, Mimicker!
- And Hickory Dickory Docker!
- On the other hand, if suffix is maintained (page 43),
- Then E must be retained after C!
- You mean before the ending able?
- Right! That keeps the spelling stable!
- So that’s why –
- Of course, let’s try!
- Noticeable, Serviceable, Embraceable, Replaceable,
- Peaceable, Enforceable, Pronounceable, Intraceable!
- Sleigh, Stein, Fahrenheit –
- Excepting: Fiery, Hierarchy, Hieroglyphics!
- E I is also used in special words, that merit careful study –
- E before I after C –
- Seizure, Leisure, Seize, Sheikh, Protein,
- Weird, Either, Neither, Codeine, Caffeine!
- Siege, however is spelled I E –
- Otherwise, use I E in Thief, Believe, Fiend, Niece,
- Field, Brief, Grief,
- Cashier, Achieve, Yield!
- Only one word in the language ends in SEDE –
- Supersede!
- Three others end in CEED –
- Exceed, Proceed, Succeed!
- All others end in CEDE
- Accede, Concede, Intercede, Precede, Recede, Secede!
- E before I after C
- When a word ends in C like Frolic and Picnic and Mimic,
- Insert a K before adding a suffix!
- Beginning with F, I or Y,
- E I is used immediately after the letter C –
- The single exception is Financier!
- E I is used in words in which it has the sound of A,
- Or the sound as I as in Height,
- Sleigh, Stein, Fahrenheit!
- E I is also used in special words –
- Leisure, Seizure, Seize, Sheikh, Protein,
- Weird, Either, Neither,
- Codeine, Caffeine!
- Use I E in Thief,
- Belief,
- Fiend, Field, Brief, Grief, Yield, Achieve, Cashier,
- Except after C as in Accede, Proceed,
- Succeed, Exceed, Concede
- Intercede, Precede, Recede, Succeed…