weird spelling of weird

[Guest guest]

Sorry to prolong the off topic nature of this

thread, but all this i vs e stuff has dredged up memories

of fifth grade. does anybody know the full spelling

rule rhyme that begins, " I before E, except after C,

and when sounding like A, as in neighbor and weigh,

....."<br>There are several more verses. I can remember having to

chant this thing in grade school but like all useful

things it quickly fled my consciousness. <br>other

exceptions i found while looking for the rhyme:<br>some

exceptions: receive, vein, neither, foreign,sovereign, seize,

counterfeit, forfeit, leisure, either, weird, heifer, protein,

geiger, height, sleight, feisty, stein, seismograph,

poltergeist, kaleidoscope

[Guest guest]

This discussion made me remember an interesting

document I once came across - the alt.usage.english FAQ,

which can be found

here:<br><a href=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/alt-usage-english-faq/

target=new>http://www.faqs.org/faqs/alt-usage-english-faq/</a><br>There is a

section on I before E (caffeine is one

exception not yet mentioned) and lots of references for

more info on such matters. The FAQ begins with a

discussion of dictionaries. (Oxford English Dictionary 2nd

ed 1989 is the top recommendation, followed by

Webster's Third New International Dictionary 3rd Ed 1969).

I usually keep a dictionary near when I'm reading

or writing. Even a cheap little paperback is helpful

for checking spelling.<br><br>Anyway, the FAQ is a

totally fascinating document.<br><br>(Sorry to continue

this weird, off-topic thread).