I Before E Except After C

I Before E Except After C
Name	I Before E Except After C
Featured In	A Boy Named Charlie Brown
Characters	Charlie Brown Linus van Pelt
Length	03:03
Background Information
Composer[s]	John Scott Trotter
Performer[s]	Peter Robbins Glenn Gilger
Song Order
Previous	Failure Face
Next	Champion Charlie Brown

I Before E Except After C

The song sung by Charlie Brown and Linus in A Boy Named Charlie Brown.

"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, Untraceable!

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, Skein, 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 Mimic and Picnic, 

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, Skein, 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…