Spelling rule #3. ...or when sounding like ay. There are fewer than three dozen commonly used
words that are spelled ei and sound like ay:
(^) Some dictionaries offer an alternative pronunciation for three of these words. geisha, obeisance, and
sheik. They are sometimes pronounced with the long e sound. but the long a sound follows the spelling
rule and is therefore preferable.
Spelling rule #4. ... or when sounding like eye. There are slightly more than two dozen words that
are spelled ei and sound like eye. Many of them have been borrowed from the German.
(^) Note that either and neither may be pronounced with the long e sound or the long i sound. Either
pronunciation is quite acceptable on either side of the Atlantic. However, the eye sound conforms to the
spelling rule therefore it is preferable.
The following words stick to the main spelling rule despite the fact that they have the eye sound:
(^) There is a very small group of words that have the short i sound. Centuries ago, the word foreign was
spelled forein and the word forfeit was spelled forfet. Here are additional words with the short i sound:
(^) The following words are complete anomalies to the entire rule:
(^) Note that lieutenant is an interesting word. The British pronounce it lef-tenant, while the Americans
pronounce it loo-tenant. The Latin root is locum tenens, a phrase that is still used by lawyers and which
means a person acting for somebody else, an official representative. We still use the word lieu (“in lieu
of”), which is pronounced loo. Therefore, the American pronunciation is historically more accurate and
linguistically correct.