i before e

This is a commonly quoted rule but a vital part of it is often omitted. It should read:
i before e except after c but only when the ie sound says ee.
e.g. chief, field but deceive, receive
Exceptions are: seize, protein

When the ie sound does not say ee, the e can go before the i: weight, height.

This rule has one very useful application: Internet fraudsters can rarely spell receive correctly!