Table of Contents
A “receipt” is proof of purchase.
A “recipe” gives ingredients and instructions.




Receipt
Receipt: the “i before e except after c” rule holds here.
Then part of the problem is the silent “p.” If English didn’t have silent consonants, spelling would be much easier!
In the “old days,” each person who made a purchase received a piece of paper. (Now it is often electronically sent to his/her computer.) The “p”iece of “p”aper has disa”pp”eared, so do not pronounce the “p” in receipt.
Receipt has two syllables: re-ceipt.
I hope that is foolish enough for you to remember.
Recipe
Normally we do not pronounce the final “e” in a word that ends in a vowel (“i”) + a consonant (“p”) + and an “e.” In this case, the word has three syllables, each of which is a consonant and a vowel. “Re” + “ci” + “pe.” The “i” has its short sound (as in “fit” or “bit”), and the final “e” is pronounced with its name.
Although a recipe used to refer to cooking or baking, it is also used figuratively, as in “a recipe for disaster.”
Recipe has three syllables: re-ci-pe.
Examples:
- The policeman followed Benjamin home to see the receipt on his computer to prove that he had paid for the fur coat.
- “receipt” = the proof of purchase
- Ben’s wife offered the policeman chocolate chip cookies from her favorite recipe.
- “recipe” = the instructions for baking or cooking
- The electronic receipt proved that Ben was not a thief.
- “receipt” = proof of purchase
- “If I give you the recipe for these cookies, would that be considered a bribe?”
- “recipe” = the instructions for baking or cooking
Credits: Photo by Carli Jeen, Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash