> > > Chr"i before e except after c - explain eiderdown then"ico
> >
> > Explain it? Well, apart from anything else, I think you'll find that rule only refers to English. ;-)
> >
> > Brunnen-"does a German eider duck quack with an accent?"G
>
> What about eight, then? What about neither?
>
> Wrong wa"Chrico"y round

It seems easy to find words that appear to contradict the "i before e" rule. That's because 99% of people only know half the rule...at best. The rule is not simply "i before e, except after c."

Here is the complete rule:

Use i before e,
except after c,
or when sounded as "I" or "A",
as in Einstein and weigh.

Neither, weird, foreign, leisure,
seize, forfeit, and height,
are the common exceptions spelled right
but don't let the c-i-e-n words get you uptight!

Kel"dragging it on, and on, and on"ly