ie Words List : For Kids to Improve Vocabulary

The “ie” sound appears in many English words and is commonly pronounced in two ways, as a long ‘i’ /aɪ/ (like in pie) or as a long ‘e’ /iː/ (like in chief). Learning ie words for kids helps children build their vocabulary, improve spelling and develop better pronunciation skills. Understanding the phonics behind these patterns allows learners to recognize that “ie” in words like tie, cried, and flies is pronounced /aɪ/, while in words like thief, believe, and grief it is pronounced /iː/. Mastering these sounds through phonics-based practice makes reading and writing in English more accurate and confident.

This blog helps children learn to read and build vocabulary using engaging worksheets and flashcards for effective practice with “ie” words like pie, tie, cried, flies, chief, believe and relief. It also supports dyslexic learners and improves reading fluency through phonics-based activities, especially focusing on words ending in “ie” such as cookie, movie, sweetie and brownie.

‘ie’ Words to Improve Vocabulary

The way we say “ie words” depends on the word and some spelling rules in English, like “i before e except after c.” This guide will help your child learn how to say “ie” words correctly and grow their vocabulary in a fun and easy way.

How to Pronounce “ie”

The letters “ie” are usually said in two main ways in English :

1. Long “i” Sound (\ai\ as in “pie”)
   Example – Pie, Lie, Die,Lie
   Sounds like the word “eye”


2. Long “e” Sound (\ee\ as in “field”)
   Example – Field, Believe, Chief, Brief
   Sounds like the words “see”

Common words with the ie sound pie, tie, lie, die, chief, field, brief, piece, thief, relief, believe, friend, achieve, priest and shield.

Tips for Remembering How to Spell and Pronounce “ie” Words ?

• Practice reading aloud : Hearing the pattern helps reinforce memory.
• Group by sound : Learn words with “ie” as \ai\ and as \ee\ separately.
• Use Visuals : Flashcards and word lists boost retention.
• Learn Exceptions : The English language is full of exceptions, so learning common words is key.
• Quick Practice List : Pie, Lie, Brief, Chief, Achieve, Friend, Relief, Patient, Science, Piece.

What is ‘ie’ ‘i-e’ and ‘igh’

Clear explanation of “ie” , “i-e” and “igh” spelling patterns, how they are related to long “i” \a\ sound and what a split digraph is.

There are different ways to spell the long “i” sound (/aɪ/ as in “pie”) in English. Each one follows its own spelling rule and has different examples to help you learn.

1. “ie”

“ie” is a vowel team (two vowels together) that can make different sounds depending on the word.

• Long “i”: In these cases, “ie” sounds like “eye” (\ai\).
• Long “e”: Here “ie” sounds like “see” (\i:\).

2. “i-e” Split Digraph”

A split digraph happens when two letters make one sound, but a consonant separates them.

• For “i-e”, the “i” and “e” are separated by a consonant eg. Bike.
• The final “e” is silent, but it makes the “i” say its name, which is the long “i” sound (/aɪ/).
• Example : Bike, Like, Time, Slide, Ride, Side, Line, Fine

3. “Igh” Trigraph

“igh” is a trigraph, which means three letters come together to make one sound.

• “igh” almost makes the long “i” sound as in “light”, “igh” appears in the middle or end of words, never at the start.
• Example : High, Light, Night, Right, Flight, Bright

Understanding The “i before e, except after c” Rule

The saying “i before e, except after c” is a widely known english spelling rule. Help writers decide between “ie” and “ei” in words. It’s an easy-to-remember mnemonic, but it has some exceptions.

When to Apply the “i before e” Rule

• Basic Rule : When you’re not sure if a word uses “ie” or “ei”, remember the rule: i before e. The only time this changes is when it comes after the letter “c”.


• After “c” : “ei”
  > Examples : Ceiling, Receive, Perceive, Deceit


• Best Use : The “i before e” rule works better for words where “ie” or “ei” makes the long “ee” sound, like in chief or receive.
  > If “ie” or “ei” is pronounced differently, the rule often doesn’t apply.


• Extended Rule : A longer version of the rule says: “i before e” except after “c” or when it sounds like “ay,” as in neighbour or weigh. This explains the “ay” sound in words like weigh, neighbour, vein and beige.

The Origin and Reason Behind the Rule

The spelling rule “ie” originated in the 19th century as literacy rates rose and educators tried to bring order to English spelling, which had become a mix of influences from French, Latin and Germanic.

The long “ee sound” pattern is why the rule “works” best with certain words, especially those taken from French (Like “receive” and “deceit”).

Common Words that Follow the Rule

Here’s a list of common words that follow the “ie” and “ei” spelling rule.

1. “ie” (Basic Rule : “i before e”)

Here are some common “ie” words that are great for kids to learn :

> Short “ie” Words (With the “ee” Sound)

• Pie
• Tie
• Lie
• Die

> Long “ie” Words (Where “ie” Makes the Long “l” Sound)

• Cried
• Fried
• Dried
• Tried

> Words Ending in “ie” (Often with an “ee” Sound)

• Cookie
• Brownie
• Zombie
• Hippie
• Movie

> “ie” in the Middle of Words

• Friend
• Believe
• Piece
• Field
• Thief

2. “ei” After “c” (Except after “c”)

Here are some common “ei” words that kids can learn, along with their sounds:

> “ei” Saying \ee\ (Like “ee” in “See”)

• Receive
• Ceiling
• Deceive
• Deceit
• Conceit
• Receipt
• Perceive

> “ei” Saying \ay\ (Like “ay” in “say”)

• Eight
• Weigh
• Neighbour
• Vein
• Reign

> “ei” Saying \eye\ (Like “i”)

• Either (Can also be \ee-ther\)
• Neither (Can also be \nee-ther\)

> Other Common “ei” Words

• Foreign (Sounds like “for-in”)
• Their (Sounds like “th-air”)
• Weird

“ie” Words for Kindergarten

Here’s a simple and fun list of “ie” words for kindergarten, designed to build reading skills with easy-to-read, short, familiar and engaging vocabulary.

1. Short “ie” Words (Sounds like “ee”)

• Pie
• Tie
• Lie (As in not to tell truth)
• Die
• Fried

2. Words Ending in “ie” Words (Sounds like “ee”)

• Cookie
• Brownie
• Movie
• Zombie
• Hippie

3. “ie” Words in the Middle (Sounds like “ee”)

• Friend
• Piece
• Field

4. Sight Words with “ie”

• Believe
• Chief

Three Letter Words With IE

Here are simple three-letter “ie” words for kids, shown with an infographic, perfect for young learners :

Four Letter Words With IE

Here are simple four-letter “ie” words for kids with meaning, shown with an infographic, perfect for young learners :

1. Brie (A type of cheese)
2. Tier (A level or rank)
3. Pier (A dock by the water)
4. Lied (A past tense of lie, telling non truth)

Five Letter Words With IE

Here are simple five-letter “ie” words for kids, shown with an infographic, perfect for young learners :

1. Field
2. Chief
3. Fries
4. Grief
5. Piece
6. Quiet
7. Thief
8. Tiers
9. Wield (To have and use power and authority.)
10. Belie (To show something that isn’t true.)
11. Skier (A person who skis)
12. Liege (Liege means a lord or ruler, or someone loyal to them)

Six Letter Words With IE

Here are simple six-letter “ie” words for kids, perfect for young learners :

Words with “ie” Consecutively

• Belief
• Briefs
• Diesel
• Fierce
• Grieve
• Pierce
• Priest
• Relief
• Series
• Thiefs
• Tiered

Words where “ie” Appears (But not Consecutively)

• Client
• Dieted
• Friend
• Orient
• Ponies
• Zombie

Seven Letter Words With IE

Here are simple seven-letter “ie” words for kids, perfect for young learners :

Words with “ie” Consecutively

• Achieve
• Believe
• Briefly
• Briefed (To give someone detailed information)
• Cashier
• Dieties
• Chiefly
• Griefer (Someone who Grief in games)
• Pierced
• Reliefs
• Retried
• Sieves
• Tiercel (a Male falcon)

Words where “ie” Appears (But not Consecutively)

• Aliened
• Ancient
• Dietary
• Dieting
• Patient
• Science
• Society

Words with “ie” at the end

Here’s a list of words ending with “ie” to help kids build vocabulary and improve spelling :

2 Letter Words

• ie (Variant of “ie”)

3 Letter Words Ending in “ie”

• Die
• Hie (Archaic for “go quickly”)
• Lie
• Pie
• Tie
• Vie (To achieve something)

4 letter words ending in “ie”

• Brie (A type of cheese)
• Frie (A variant of free)
• Skie (A variant of sky)

5 Letter Words

• Aerie (Eagle’s nest)
• Bogie
• Collie (A dog breed)
• Cutie
• Dixie (A large iron cooking pot)
• Genie
• Goalie (A another term for goalkeeper)
• Hippie
• Kiddie
• Oldie
• Pixie (In children stories a creature like small person with pointed ears that has a magic powers)

6 Letter Words

• Birdie
• Brownie
• Caddie (A person who carries a golfer’s clubs and gives help during a game)
• Cookie
• Dearie (Used as a friendly)
• Foodie
• Junkie
• Newbie
• Rookie (A new recruit)
• Softie
• Veggie
• Zombie

7 Letter Words

• Sweetie
• Toughie
• Freebie
• Preemie (Premature baby)
• Wheelie

“ie” Words Long i

Here are “ie” words with the long I sound (/aɪ/) for children in third grade, to help them learn letters and sounds.

1 Syllable Words (Long i Sound)

• Die
• Lie
• Pie
• Tie
• Vie (To achieve something)

2 Syllable Words (Long i Sound)

• Allie (Nickname)
• Belie (Means to give a false idea of something or to hide the truth)
• Brie (A type of cheese)
• Genie
• Stymie (To prevent somebody from doing something)
• Zombie

Exception & Notes

• Some words (like “friend”, “piece”, “field” ) have “ie” but do not make the long i sound.
• Words like “movie” and “auntie” end with “ie” but make an “ee” sound (/i/).

“ie” Words Long e

“ie” words with the long e sound (/iː/) usually follow the rule “i before e except after c” , but there are exceptions. Here are some common examples.

Common “ie” (Long e Sound)

• Believe
• Relief
• Chief
• Field
• Piece
• Achieve
• Brief
• Grief
• Thief
• Yield

Exception & Notes

• Some words with “ie” do not make long e sound ( e.g. “friend” /ɛ/, “die” /aɪ/ ).
• After “c” the spelling usually changes to “ei” for the long e sound (e.g. “receive”, “ceiling”).

Fun Activities for Learning “ie” Words

Learning “ie” words for kids can be fun with interactive activities and games! Below is a list of engaging activities that help children practice consonant sounds, read and spell new words, and build confidence with high-frequency “ie” words.

1. ie Words Hunt

Activity : Hide word cards with ‘ie’ words around the room. Have the children search for the cards, read each word aloud, and write it down.

2. ie Words Bingo

Activity : Create Bingo cards using ‘ie’ words such as pie, tie, lie, friend, and field. Call out the words one at a time. Players mark the words on their cards as they hear them. The first player to complete a line wins!

3. ie vs ei Sorting Game

Activity : Label two baskets: one for ‘ie’ words and one for ‘ei’ words. Give the children word cards (e.g., piece, receive, thief, ceiling) and have them sort the cards into the correct baskets.

4. ie Words Puzzle

Activity : Write ‘ie’ words on puzzle pieces and have the children assemble the puzzles while reading each word aloud. For a fun variation, let them use letter tiles to build ‘ie’ words from scratch.

5. Rhyme time with “ie” Words

Activity : Say an ‘ie’ word aloud and have the children quickly respond with a rhyming word (e.g., you say ‘tried,’ they say ‘fried’). To make it more fun and challenging, keep the pace fast!

Helpful Tool for Learning ie Words

Helpful tools provide a medium for children in practicing and revising words so that they never lose touch to vocabulary and learning.

1. Like Lakshana youtube channel for learning ie words for kids, video learning boost engagement and faster learning.

2. This 12-page book from Crabtree Publishing Co. (Canada) is designed to help children aged 8 to 12 learn sound words in a fun and educational way.

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