Niece or Neice: Which Spelling Is Correct?

Introduction

If you are wondering whether niece or neice is the correct spelling, the answer is simple:

Niece is correct.
Neice is a common misspelling.

The word niece is a countable noun used for the daughter of your brother or sister. Major dictionaries, including Cambridge, Oxford, and Collins, list niece as the standard spelling. Cambridge and Oxford also include the daughter of your spouse’s brother or sister in the definition.

The spelling can be confusing because niece is pronounced /niːs/, approximately like “neess.” Its pronunciation does not make the order of i and e obvious.

This guide explains the difference between niece and neice, the meaning and pronunciation of niece, its plural and possessive forms, common mistakes, memory tricks, examples, and practice questions.

Niece or Neice: Which Spelling Is Correct?

The correct spelling is niece.

Neice is a common misspelling created by reversing the i and e.

Spelling	Correct?	Meaning
niece	Yes	A daughter of your brother or sister
neice	No	Common misspelling of niece

Examples

Correct: My niece is visiting us this weekend.

Incorrect: My neice is visiting us this weekend.

If you are writing a school assignment, professional email, article, card, or formal document, use niece.

Quick answer

Niece = correct
Neice = incorrect

Cambridge, Oxford, Collins, and Dictionary.com all give niece as the established spelling. Dictionary.com specifically notes that people commonly want to spell the word neice because they find the order of i and e difficult to remember.

What Does Niece Mean?

A niece is generally the daughter of your brother or sister.

For example:

• Your brother has a daughter → she is your niece.
• Your sister has a daughter → she is your niece.
• Your brother has a son → he is your nephew.
• Your sister has a son → he is your nephew.

Cambridge and Oxford also recognize a broader family relationship: the daughter of your husband’s or wife’s brother or sister can also be called your niece.

Simple family example

Suppose your sister has a daughter named Emma.

Emma is your niece.

If your brother has a daughter named Sarah, then:

Sarah is also your niece.

The word therefore describes a female family relationship rather than a particular side of the family.

Why Is Niece the Correct Spelling?

The standard spelling is:

N-I-E-C-E

The key sequence is:

IE

So the word is:

N + IE + CE = NIECE

Not:

N + EI + CE = NEICE

One reason this word causes spelling problems is that its pronunciation does not clearly reveal the vowel order. Dictionary.com specifically identifies the i/e order as a common spelling difficulty.

A useful visual pattern is:

N-IE-CE

Remember the middle letters IE rather than trying to spell the word entirely from its sound.

How Do You Spell Niece?

The correct spelling is:

N-I-E-C-E

You can divide it visually like this:

NIE + CE

Or remember:

N + IE + CE

Correct forms

• niece
• nieces
• niece’s
• nieces’

Incorrect form

• neice

For example:

My niece loves drawing.

The word contains IE, not EI.

If you frequently make this mistake, write the word several times and then use it in a meaningful sentence:

My niece is learning English.

Learning the spelling in context can make it easier to remember than memorizing individual letters.

How Do You Pronounce Niece?

Niece is pronounced Approximately “neess.”

Cambridge gives the pronunciation /niːs/ for both British and American English entries. Oxford also lists /niːs/.

Pronunciation breakdown

niece → /niːs/

It has one syllable.

The pronunciation is similar to words such as:

• peace
• piece
• lease
• fleece

For example:

My niece is coming tomorrow.

The word niece sounds like “neess,” even though it is spelled n-i-e-c-e.

Niece in British and American English

There is no British-American spelling difference for niece.

Both British English and American English use:

niece

Cambridge lists /niːs/ for the British entry and /niːs/ for its American entry, while Oxford also gives niece as the standard form.

British English

My niece lives in London.

American English

My niece lives in Chicago.

The spelling remains niece in both varieties.

Therefore, neice is not an alternative American spelling or a British spelling. If you mean the family relationship, niece is the standard form.

Niece vs Nephew

Niece and nephew are related family terms, but they refer to different relationships.

Word	Meaning
Niece	Daughter of your brother or sister
Nephew	Son of your brother or sister

Oxford defines nephew as the son of your brother or sister, or the son of your spouse’s brother or sister.

Examples

My sister has a daughter. She is my niece.

My sister has a son. He is my nephew.

Easy memory tip

Niece = female

Nephew = male

This distinction is useful when describing family relationships in conversation or writing.

What Is the Plural of Niece?

The plural of niece is:

nieces

Simply add -s to the singular form.

Singular	Plural
niece	nieces

Collins explicitly lists nieces as the plural form of niece.

Examples

Singular:

I have one niece.

Plural:

I have three nieces.

More examples:

• My nieces are visiting this weekend.
• I bought presents for my nieces.
• Her nieces live nearby.
• We invited our nieces to dinner.
• His nieces enjoy playing together.

Important spelling point

Do not use an apostrophe to create the ordinary plural.

Incorrect: I have two niece’s.

Correct: I have two nieces.

The apostrophe has a different job when forming possessives.

What Is the Possessive Form of Niece?

The possessive form depends on whether you mean one niece or more than one niece.

One niece: niece’s

Use niece’s when something belongs to one niece.

My niece’s birthday is tomorrow.

Here, niece’s means the birthday belongs to one niece.

More examples:

• My niece’s dress is beautiful.
• I visited my niece’s house.
• Her niece’s phone was missing.
• We attended my niece’s graduation.
• My niece’s favorite book is on the table.

More than one niece: nieces’

Use nieces’ when something belongs to multiple nieces.

My nieces’ books are on the shelf.

Here, the books belong to more than one niece.

More examples:

• The nieces’ toys were everywhere.
• We attended our nieces’ school event.
• Their nieces’ achievements made the family proud.

Niece, Nieces, Niece’s, and Nieces’: What’s the Difference?

These four forms look similar but have different grammatical functions.

Form	Meaning	Example
niece	One female relative	My niece is here.
nieces	More than one niece	My nieces are here.
niece’s	Possession belonging to one niece	My niece’s book is new.
nieces’	Possession belonging to multiple nieces	My nieces’ books are new.

Compare these sentences:

My nieces are happy.

This means more than one niece is happy.

My niece’s shoes are new.

This means the shoes belong to one niece.

My nieces’ shoes are new.

This means the shoes belong to multiple nieces.

Apostrophes therefore matter because they can change the meaning of the sentence.

Common Mistakes With Niece

The spelling niece is Frequently confused with neice, but there are several other mistakes worth knowing.

1. Writing “neice”

Incorrect: My neice called me.

Correct: My niece called me.

The letters i and e have been reversed.

2. Using “niece’s” as a plural

Incorrect: I have two niece’s.

Correct: I have two nieces.

Use -s, not an apostrophe, for the ordinary plural.

3. Confusing niece and nephew

Incorrect: My brother’s daughter is my nephew.

Correct: My brother’s daughter is my niece.

A niece is female, while a nephew is male.

4. Confusing “nieces” and “niece’s”

Nieces = more than one niece.

Niece’s = belonging to one niece.

For example:

My nieces are outside.

My niece’s shoes are outside.

5. Assuming the spelling changes by country

Incorrect idea: British English uses niece while American English uses neice.

Correct: Both use niece.

Major dictionaries list the same spelling across British and American English.

Easy Ways to Remember the Spelling of Niece

If you often write neice, a simple memory technique can help.

Remember “IE”

Focus on the middle:

N-IE-CE

The important sequence is:

IE

not:

EI

Use the “piece” connection

You can connect niece with piece because both contain the ie sequence:

piece

niece

This can provide a quick visual reminder.

Use “I before E” carefully.

A traditional spelling mnemonic is:

“I before E, except after C.”

It can help with words such as niece, but it should not be treated as a universal English spelling rule because English has many exceptions. Dictionary.com presents this mnemonic as one possible way to remember the spelling of niece.

For this particular word, it is safer simply to remember:

NIECE = N + IE + CE

Learn the word in a sentence

Instead of memorizing only the letters, practice:

My niece loves reading.

I bought a gift for my niece.

My niece is coming tomorrow.

Using the word repeatedly in context helps connect its spelling, meaning, and grammar.

Niece Example Sentences

Here are examples ranging from simple everyday English to more advanced usage.

Very easy examples

1. My niece is here.
2. I love my niece.
3. My niece is happy.
4. She is my niece.
5. My niece likes books.

Everyday examples

1. My niece is learning to play the piano.
2. I bought a birthday gift for my niece.
3. My niece visited us during the holidays.
4. We invited our niece to dinner.
5. His niece lives in another city.

More advanced examples

1. My niece has recently started studying French.
2. I was surprised by how quickly my niece learned the new skill.
3. Her niece received an award for academic achievement.
4. We arranged a family gathering so that everyone could meet our niece.
5. My brother introduced his daughter, who is also my niece.

Business or formal context

Although niece is primarily a family word, it can naturally appear in professional writing when discussing personal circumstances.

I will be away from the office because I am attending my niece’s graduation.

She requested leave to attend her niece’s wedding.

The noun itself does not change in formal English.

Is “Neice” Ever Correct?

When you mean the family relationship, niece is the standard English spelling.

Neice is commonly encountered as a spelling error, but it is not the standard spelling used in major English dictionary entries for this family relationship. Dictionary.com explicitly describes neice as an incorrect spelling, while Cambridge, Oxford, and Collins give niece as the dictionary headword.

So if you are writing:

My ___ is coming tomorrow.

The correct choice is:

My niece is coming tomorrow.

Not:

My neice is coming tomorrow.

Where Does the Word Niece Come From?

The spelling of niece has a long history.

Oxford traces the word through Middle English and Old French to Latin neptis, meaning “granddaughter.” Collins similarly gives its origin through Old French and ultimately Latin neptis.

This history also helps explain why modern English spelling is not always predictable from pronunciation.

The modern word developed over centuries, so its spelling should be learned as an established English form rather than reconstructed from how it sounds.

Word family connection

The word is historically related to other family terms, including nephew, although the modern forms have different spellings and pronunciations. Oxford gives nephew as the comparison term for niece.

Is Niece a Noun?

Yes. Niece is a countable noun.

It names a person and can be used with numbers and determiners.

Examples

• one niece
• two nieces
• my niece
• her niece
• their nieces
• a niece
• several nieces

Collins labels niece as a countable noun and gives nieces as its plural form.

In sentences

My niece is studying.

I have two nieces.

She invited her niece.

Several nieces attended the event.

The noun can therefore function naturally as the subject or object of a sentence.

Can Niece Refer to a Brother’s Daughter and a Sister’s Daughter?

Yes.

A brother’s daughter can be your niece.

A sister’s daughter can also be your niece.

For example:

My brother has a daughter. She is my niece.

My sister has a daughter. She is also my niece.

Cambridge and Oxford both define niece using the relationship to a brother or sister. They also include the daughter of a spouse’s brother or sister in their definitions.

Family relationship chart

Relative	Term
Brother’s daughter	Niece
Sister’s daughter	Niece
Brother’s son	Nephew
Sister’s son	Nephew

This makes the distinction easy to understand.

Related To Another Article: https://grammixo.com/saw-or-seen/

Practice Exercises: Niece or Niece

Test yourself by choosing the correct form.

Fill in the blanks

1. My ___ is coming to visit tomorrow.
2. I bought a gift for my ___.
3. My sister’s daughter is my ___.
4. I have three ___.
5. My ___ birthday is next week.
6. We invited our ___ to dinner.
7. The girls are my ___.
8. My brother’s daughter is my ___.
9. I bought books for my ___.
10. My ___ loves playing the piano.

Answers

1. niece
2. niece
3. niece
4. nieces
5. niece’s
6. nieces
7. nieces
8. niece
9. nieces
10. niece

Sentence correction

Correct these sentences:

1. My niece lives nearby.
2. I have two nieces.
3. My brother’s daughter is my nephew.
4. My niece’s birthday is tomorrow.
5. I bought gifts for my nieces.

Correct answers

1. My niece lives nearby.
2. I have two nieces.
3. My brother’s daughter is my niece.
4. My niece’s birthday is tomorrow.
5. I bought gifts for my nieces.

People Also Ask

Quick Revision: Niece or Neice

Question	Answer
Correct spelling	Niece
Common misspelling	Neice
Meaning	Daughter of your brother or sister
Part of speech	Countable noun
Pronunciation	/niːs/
Plural	Nieces
Singular possessive	Niece’s
Plural possessive	Nieces’
Female family term	Niece
Male counterpart	Nephew
British spelling	Niece
American spelling	Niece
Key spelling pattern	IE

Final Answer: Niece or Neice?

When choosing between niece and neice, use niece.

Niece is the standard English spelling for the family Relationship. Neice is a common misspelling. Cambridge, Oxford, and Collins all list niece, while Dictionary.com specifically notes that neice is an incorrect spelling.

The easiest way to remember it is:

NIECE = correct
NEICE = incorrect

Also remember the related forms:

• niece = one female relative
• nieces = more than one
• niece’s = belonging to one niece
• nieces’ = belonging to multiple nieces
• nephew = corresponding male family term

Once you remember the IE sequence in NIECE, this commonly confused spelling becomes much easier to use correctly.