If it's i before e except after c how do you spell sufficient?

[KatyMac]

Please - as I am confused

as you have

But it shouldn't be....or should it?

There are exceptions - just to make life interesting!

Stupid language

At a guess I'd say that's where the i and e together don't make clear individual sounds - so receive, friend, etc. But the second i in sufficient is clearly articulated as an individual vowel, so you spell it as it sounds.

English has very inconsistent spelling, and so pretty much any rule will have exceptions - it's annoying if this is isn't made clear in school, as it wasn't to me.

Oh, no, it's a lovely language! Just quirky, reflecting a really interesting history.

The rule only allies where ie makes an EEE sound.

Oh FFS, applies

Another exception is
Deceit

And you get exceptions the other way around too
Protein

So the real aide-memoire should read
"I before E except after C and not including the following list of words......"

deceit isn't an exception though.

yeah i only found out with my dd's homework just before Easter that the rule is

"i before e except after c when the sound is eeeee"