Question

Now here are some more words. Complete them with ‘ei’ or ‘ie’. Consult a dictionary of necessary.
i) bel__ve
ii) rec__ve
iii) w__rd
iv) l__sure
v) s__ze
vi) w__ght
vii) r__gn
viii) f__gn
ix) gr__f
x) p__rce
(There is a popular rule spelling: i before e except after c. Check if this rule is true by looking at the words above.)

Answer 1

Hint:
Try to say each word out loud. This will clear up any confusion about the spelling. It is necessary to make sure that the words sound the same and have the same intonation. Then, choose the most appropriate option from the two.

Complete answer:
 Unfortunately, the spelling in the English language is not consistent at all. The pronunciation of two similarly spelled words can sound completely different. This means that the word ‘read’ can be pronounced in two different ways - namely ‘red’ and ‘reed’.
This makes it very difficult to arrange vowels in this language as they sound the same with any arrangement, but there is only one acceptable spelling. The only way to guess these correctly is to learn their spellings.

Let us solve them one by one-
The grammatically correct word would be ‘believe’. The word ‘believe’ refers to ‘accept that (something) is true, especially without proof’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘receive’. The word ‘receive’ refers to ‘be given, presented with, or paid (something)’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘weird’. The word ‘weird’ refers to ‘suggesting something supernatural; unearthly’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘leisure’. The word ‘leisure’ refers to ‘time when one is not working or occupied; free time’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘seize’. The word ‘seize’ refers to ‘take hold of suddenly and forcibly’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘weight’. The word ‘weight’ refers to ‘ the amount that something weighs’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘reign’. The word ‘reign’ refers to ‘to possess or exercise sovereign power’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘feign’. The word ‘feign’ refers to ‘pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury)’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘grief’. The word ‘grief’ refers to ‘intense sorrow, especially caused by someone's death’.
The grammatically correct word would be ‘pierce’. The word ‘pierce’ refers to ‘(of a sharp-pointed object) go into or through (something)’.
The rule mentioned says that the ‘i’ is always placed before ‘e’ unless they are after the letter ‘c’. However, this rule is followed only in four words. So, most of the words do not follow the rule.

Note:
 Each pronunciation is the key to finding the correct spelling. The transliteration of each word will help to find the correct order of vowels for the word.