Neice vs Niece: What's the Correct Spelling?

If you’re wondering whether to write neice or niece, you’re not alone. Many words in the English language are tricky to spell, including this one.

So which spelling are you supposed to use?

The correct spelling is niece, with the I before the E.

Read on to learn more about what niece means and how to use this word correctly.

How to Spell “Neice” Correctly

Many people accidentally write niece as neice, neece, or even nece. These are misspellings, which make your writing harder to understand.

The only correct way to spell niece is with the I before the E, just like piece.

If you’re worried about spelling errors, you can always run your work through ProWritingAid, which will highlight all misspellings for you and guide you toward the correct solution.

Quick Definition and Meaning of Niece

We use the word niece to refer to either the daughter of one’s sister (sororal niece) or the daughter of one’s brother (fraternal niece).

For example, if your brother or sister has a daughter named Patricia, you would refer to Patricia as your niece.

Examples of Niece Used in Sentences

Here are some examples of niece being used in popular English books.

“What did people do with enormous families? All those cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews. How did they keep them straight? How did they breathe at any sort of family function?”—J.D. Robb, Salvation in Death

“To lose a brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you a sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches.”—Yann Martel, Life of Pi

“We wrap our arms around each other and we cry. We cry mother to daughter. We cry aunt to niece. We cry victim to victim. We cry survivor to survivor.”—Colleen Hoover, Hopeless

“He had in his house a housekeeper past forty, a niece under twenty, and a lad for the field and market-place, who used to saddle the hack as well as handle the bill-hook.”—Miguel De Cervantes, Don Quixote

“In the society of his nephew and niece, and their children, the old Gentleman’s days were comfortably spent. His attachment to them all increased.”—Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

“Nobody noticed as the little girl stepped over the shadowed threshold; not even Aunt Ada, who some might’ve expected to be shepherding her orphaned niece towards her uncertain future.”—Kate Morton, The Secret Keeper

Grammar Rule to Remember the Correct Spelling of “Neice”

One common grammar rule taught in schools is “I before E, except after C.” This rule works with the word niece, as well as many other words, such as piece and relief.

However, this rule isn’t always reliable, since words like beige and seize are common exceptions.

A more specific mnemonic you can use is the sentence, “My niece is nice.” Both niece and nice start with NI, so the correct spelling is niece, not neice.

Remember these rules, and you’ll be able to keep your writing error free!

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