Spelling

receive

I before E, except after C. This is the actual case the rule was written for.

  • recieve

    receive

    E before I here, because it follows a C.

The trick

I before E, except after C. The C is right there. This is the textbook case.

The rule has famous exceptions—weird, seize, their, caffeine—which has made people distrust it entirely. For words with a see sound after a C (receive, deceive, ceiling, perceive), it holds every time.

Now go trust the rule for once.