Niece or Neice? Which Spelling Is Correct?

If you are unsure whether to write niece or neice, the correct spelling is niece.

Niece is the standard English spelling for a female relative who is the daughter of your brother or sister. It can also refer to the daughter of your spouse’s brother or sister. Neice is a common misspelling, not a standard alternative spelling. Major dictionaries, including Cambridge, Oxford, Merriam-Webster, and Dictionary.com, use niece as the standard form.

Quick Answer

Spelling	Correct?	Meaning
niece	✅ Yes	Daughter of your brother, sister, or sibling-in-law
neice	❌ No	Common misspelling of niece

Correct: My niece is visiting this weekend.

Incorrect: My neice is visiting this weekend.

So, whether you are writing a school assignment, email, birthday message, article, social media post, or professional document, use niece.

What Does Niece Mean?

A niece is a female family member who is the daughter of your brother or sister. The word can also refer to the daughter of your husband’s or wife’s brother or sister.

For example:

• Your brother’s daughter is your niece.
• Your sister’s daughter is your niece.
• Your spouse’s brother’s daughter may be called your niece.
• Your spouse’s sister’s daughter may be called your niece.

Simple Family Example

Suppose Ahmed and Sara are siblings.

Sara has a daughter named Aisha.

Therefore:

Aisha = Ahmed’s niece

And:

Ahmed = Aisha’s uncle

If Ahmed has a daughter, that daughter would be Sara’s niece.

The relationship does not depend on whether you are male or female. A male relative is traditionally an uncle, while a female relative is an aunt.

Why Is “Niece” the Correct Spelling?

The correct spelling is:

N-I-E-C-E

The common misspelling is:

N-E-I-C-E

The only difference is the order of i and e.

Correct	Incorrect
niece ✅	neice ❌

The pronunciation of niece does not make the spelling obvious. When you hear the word, you hear a sound similar to “nees,” so you cannot tell whether the written form should contain ie or ei.

This is why neice can look convincing even though it is not the standard spelling.

Is “Neice” a Word?

When you mean the family relationship, neice is not the standard English spelling.

The correct word is:

niece

If neice appears in ordinary English writing, it will generally be understood as a spelling mistake for niece.

However, a sequence of letters can appear as part of a person’s surname, username, brand, or other proper name. That does not make neice an alternative spelling of the English family term.

Remember

Niece = correct
Neice = incorrect

How Do You Spell Niece?

Spell niece like this:

N-I-E-C-E

A useful way to remember it is to focus on the beginning:

NI…

not:

NEI…

Another helpful association is piece:

• niece
• piece

Both contain the ie sequence.

You can also remember the phrase:

“A nice niece.”

The beginning of nice can help you remember the beginning of niece.

Important Note About “I Before E”

The familiar spelling rhyme “i before e, except after c” may help with some words, but it should not be treated as a universal rule. English has many spelling exceptions.

For niece, the safest approach is simply to memorize:

N-I-E-C-E

How Do You Pronounce Niece?

Niece is pronounced approximately like “nees.”

The word has one syllable.

Cambridge gives the pronunciation as /niːs/, while Oxford also lists /niːs/.

It rhymes with words such as:

• peace
• piece
• lease
• fleece

For example:

My niece lives nearby.

I bought my niece a birthday present.

Her niece starts school next month.

The misspelling neice is not a different pronunciation. It is simply the incorrect written form.

What Part of Speech Is “Niece”?

Niece is a countable noun.

It refers to a person and can be used in singular and plural forms.

Singular

niece

I have one niece.

Plural

nieces

I have three nieces.

Merriam-Webster, Cambridge, Oxford, and other established dictionaries list niece as a noun and recognize nieces as its plural form.

Niece, Nieces, Niece’s, and Nieces’

These four forms are easy to confuse.

Form	Function	Example
niece	Singular noun	My niece is here.
nieces	Plural noun	My nieces are here.
niece’s	Singular possessive	My niece’s bag is blue.
nieces’	Plural possessive	My nieces’ bags are blue.

Niece

Use niece when talking about one female relative.

My niece loves reading.

Nieces

Use nieces when talking about more than one.

My nieces love reading.

Niece’s

Use niece’s when something belongs to or is associated with one niece.

My niece’s birthday is tomorrow.

Nieces’

Use nieces’ when something belongs to or is associated with multiple nieces.

My nieces’ school is nearby.

Quick Memory Rule

One niece → niece’s

Two or more nieces → nieces’

What Is the Plural of Niece?

The plural of niece is nieces.

Simply add -s:

niece → nieces

Singular Examples

My niece lives nearby.

I called my niece yesterday.

Plural Examples

My nieces live nearby.

I have two nieces.

Both of my nieces enjoy painting.

Common Error

❌ I have two niece’s.

✅ I have two nieces.

An apostrophe is not normally used to form an ordinary plural.

Niece vs. Nephew

Niece and nephew describe corresponding family relationships.

Word	Traditional Meaning	Example
niece	Daughter of a sibling	My sister’s daughter is my niece.
nephew	Son of a sibling	My sister’s son is my nephew.

For example:

My brother has a daughter. She is my niece.

My brother has a son. He is my nephew.

The traditional distinction is based on the gender of the relative being described.

Niece vs. Cousin

A niece and a cousin are different family relationships.

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

Your cousin is generally the child of your parent’s brother or sister.

Compare

Relationship	Family Connection
Niece	Your sibling’s daughter
Nephew	Your sibling’s son
Cousin	Your parent’s sibling’s child

For example:

• Your sister’s daughter → niece
• Your brother’s daughter → niece
• Your aunt’s daughter → cousin
• Your uncle’s daughter → cousin

Easy Rule

Sibling’s child → niece or nephew

Parent’s sibling’s child → cousin

Niece vs. Great-Niece vs. Grandniece

Family relationships become more complicated when you move across generations.

A niece is the daughter of your sibling.

A great-niece is commonly the daughter of your niece or nephew.

Grandniece is also used for this relationship.

For example:

Your brother → his daughter = your niece

Your niece → her daughter = your great-niece / grandniece

These terms describe a relationship one generation farther removed than a niece.

How to Use “Niece” in a Sentence

Here are natural examples of niece in everyday English:

• My niece is coming to visit us this weekend.
• I bought my niece a birthday present.
• My brother’s daughter is my niece.
• My niece loves reading books.
• We took our niece to the park.
• Her niece started school this year.
• My niece called me yesterday.
• I am very close to my niece.
• My sister’s daughter is my youngest niece.
• My niece’s birthday is next month.

More Examples

My niece wants to learn how to swim.

I am taking my niece to the museum.

His niece works at a local hospital.

Their niece recently graduated from college.

We are visiting our niece during the holidays.

Niece in Everyday Conversation

Niece is a common word when talking about family.

You might hear sentences such as:

Have you met my niece?

My niece turns twelve next week.

I am picking up my niece after school.

My niece loves playing outside.

We went shopping with my niece.

The pronunciation stays the same whether the conversation is formal or informal.

Niece in Workplace and Business Writing

Family relationships sometimes appear in professional communication when someone needs to explain travel, leave, scheduling, or personal responsibilities.

For example:

Will be unavailable on Friday because I am attending my niece’s graduation.

I need to leave early to collect my niece from school.

I will be traveling next week to attend my niece’s wedding.

There is no special business-English spelling. The correct form remains niece.

Niece in Email Writing

Emails are a common place for spelling mistakes because people often type quickly.

Correct

I will be traveling next week to attend my niece’s wedding.

Incorrect

I will be traveling next week to attend my neice’s wedding.

If you are writing a professional email, always proofread family terms, names, dates, and other important details before sending it.

Niece in Academic Writing

The spelling niece remains the same in:

• essays
• assignments
• research papers
• reports
• examinations
• academic presentations

For example:

The participant reported that she regularly provided childcare for her niece.

Standard English spelling should be used in your own academic writing.

If you are reproducing an older quotation that contains an unusual historical spelling, follow the appropriate quotation conventions. Do not deliberately change niece to neice in your own prose.

Niece in Social Media and Text Messages

Informal communication does not change the standard spelling.

Correct

Spending the weekend with my niece ❤️

Correct

My niece made this for me today!

Incorrect

My neice made this for me today.

Although readers may understand neice, niece is the correct spelling and works across texts, captions, comments, emails, and other digital communication.

Common Misspellings of Niece

The most common mistake is neice, but other incorrect forms can appear.

Misspelling	Correct Form
❌ neice	✅ niece
❌ neece	✅ niece
❌ nece	✅ niece
❌ niese	✅ niece
❌ niecce	✅ niece
❌ neise	✅ niece

The standard spelling is always:

niece

Why Do People Spell Niece as “Neice”?

The confusion mainly comes from the letter sequence ie.

The word is pronounced similarly to “nees,” so pronunciation does not tell you which vowel comes first when writing it.

Compare:

niece

neice

Both look plausible at first glance, but only the first is the standard spelling.

English also contains many words with different ie and ei patterns, so relying on a general spelling rule can sometimes cause confusion.

The easiest solution is to memorize the complete spelling:

N-I-E-C-E

Is Niece Spelled the Same in British and American English?

Yes.

The standard spelling is niece in both British and American English. Cambridge and Oxford both list niece as the standard form.

Variety of English	Standard Spelling
American English	niece
British English	niece
Canadian English	niece
Australian English	niece

There is therefore no standard regional spelling choice between niece and neice.

Is “Neice” Ever Correct?

If you are referring to the family relationship, use niece.

Neice is not a standard alternative spelling.

The exception would be a context in which Neice is intentionally used as a proper name, username, brand, or another individually chosen spelling. Proper names can have unusual spellings, but that does not make neice an alternative spelling of the family noun.

Standard English

✅ niece

❌ neice

Can “Niece” and “Neice” Be Used Interchangeably?

No.

They are not two accepted spelling variants.

Some English words have recognized British and American spelling differences, but niece does not change to neice depending on the variety of English.

For example:

American: niece

British: niece

Therefore, if you mean the family relationship, choose niece.

Does the “I Before E” Rule Help With Niece?

It can help you remember the spelling, but it is not a perfect rule for English.

The word niece does contain i before e:

n-i-e-c-e

However, English has many spelling patterns and exceptions. Instead of depending entirely on the rhyme, memorize the word as a complete unit.

A useful association is:

niece → piece

Both contain ie.

Another memory aid is:

My nice niece.

The similar beginning of nice and niece can help reinforce the spelling.

Common Grammar Mistakes With Niece

1. Writing “Neice”

❌ My neice lives nearby.

✅ My niece lives nearby.

2. Using an Apostrophe for the Plural

❌ I have two niece’s.

✅ I have two nieces.

3. Forgetting the Possessive Apostrophe

❌ My niece birthday is today.

✅ My niece’s birthday is today.

4. Confusing Nieces and Nieces’

❌ My nieces’ are visiting.

✅ My nieces are visiting.

Here, nieces is simply plural.

5. Confusing Niece With Nephew

❌ My sister’s son is my niece.

✅ My sister’s son is my nephew.

Niece: Correct and Incorrect Examples

Correct	Incorrect
My niece starts college next month.	My neice starts college next month.
I called my niece yesterday.	I called my neice yesterday.
Her niece lives in Canada.	Her neice lives in Canada.
Their niece won the competition.	Their neice won the competition.
Our niece is coming for dinner.	Our neice is coming for dinner.

The meaning is usually still understandable when neice is used, but the spelling should be corrected in polished writing.

A Simple Family Relationship Map

A family map can make these terms much easier to remember.

Your sibling’s daughter

Brother/Sister → Daughter → Niece

Your sibling’s son

Brother/Sister → Son → Nephew

Your parent’s sibling’s daughter

Parent’s sibling → Daughter → Cousin

So remember:

Sibling’s daughter = niece

Sibling’s son = nephew

Parent’s sibling’s child = cousin

Niece: Useful Collocations

A collocation is a combination of words that commonly appear together.

Useful expressions with niece include:

• young niece
• little niece
• youngest niece
• older niece
• favorite niece
• beloved niece
• my niece
• your niece
• his niece
• her niece
• aunt and niece
• uncle and niece
• niece and nephew

Examples:

My youngest niece loves animals.

I bought a gift for my little niece.

My niece and nephew are visiting this weekend.

Learning these combinations can help English learners use the word naturally.

Practical Decision Guide: Which Form Should You Use?

If you are unsure, use this quick guide.

Are you talking about one female family member?

Use:

niece

Are you talking about more than one?

Use:

nieces

Does something belong to one niece?

Use:

niece’s

Does something belong to several nieces?

Use:

nieces’

Are you deciding between “niece” and “neice”?

Use:

niece

Are you writing in British or American English?

Use:

niece

The answer does not change.

Practice Exercise

Correct the mistakes in the following sentences.

A

My neice is staying with us this weekend.

B

I bought my niece a birthday present.

C

Both of my niece’s live nearby.

D

My neice wants to become a doctor.

E

We attended our nieces graduation ceremony.

F

Her niece recently moved to another city.

G

My two neices are coming for dinner.

H

That is my niece’s backpack.

Exercise Answers

A

My niece is staying with us this weekend.

Neice should be changed to niece.

B

I bought my niece a birthday present.

This sentence is already correct.

C

Both of my nieces live nearby.

Because both refers to more than one niece, use the plural nieces, not niece’s.

D

My niece wants to become a doctor.

Change neice to niece.

E

We attended our niece’s graduation ceremony.

If one niece graduated, use the singular possessive niece’s.

If several nieces graduated, use:

We attended our nieces’ graduation ceremony.

F

Her niece recently moved to another city.

This sentence is already correct.

G

My two nieces are coming for dinner.

The plural of niece is nieces.

H

That is my niece’s backpack.

This sentence is already correct because the backpack belongs to one niece.

Niece or Neice Quiz

1. Which spelling is correct?

A. Neice
B. Niece
C. Niese
D. Neece

Answer: B. Niece

2. Which sentence is correct?

A. My neice lives nearby.
B. My niece lives nearby.
C. My niecee lives nearby.
D. My neicee lives nearby.

Answer: B. My niece lives nearby

3. What is the plural of niece?

A. Niece’s
B. Niecies
C. Nieces
D. Neices

Answer: C. Nieces

4. Which form shows possession by one niece?

A. Nieces
B. Niece’s
C. Neice’s
D. Niecies

Answer: B. Niece’s

5. Which word traditionally refers to a sibling’s son?

A. Cousin
B. Niece
C. Nephew
D. Uncle

Answer: C. Nephew

6. Is “neice” a standard British spelling of “niece”?

A. Yes
B. No
C. Only in formal writing
D. Only in older English

Answer: B. No

7. Which spelling should you use in academic writing?

A. Neice
B. Either spelling
C. Niece
D. Neice in British English

Answer: C. Niece

Quick Revision Box

Correct spelling: niece
Common misspelling: neice
Meaning: daughter of your brother, sister, or sibling-in-law
Pronunciation: /niːs/
Part of speech: countable noun
Plural: nieces
Singular possessive: niece’s
Plural possessive: nieces’
Male counterpart: nephew
Related family term: cousin
British spelling: niece
American spelling: niece

Key Takeaways

• Niece is the correct standard English spelling.
• Neice is a common misspelling.
• A niece is traditionally the daughter of your brother or sister.
• The word can also refer to the daughter of your spouse’s brother or sister.
• Niece is a countable noun.
• The plural is nieces.
• The singular possessive is niece’s.
• The plural possessive is nieces’.
• Nephew is the traditional male counterpart of niece.
• Your sibling’s daughter is your niece.
• Your parent’s sibling’s daughter is generally your cousin.
• Niece is spelled the same in British and American English.
• Niece is pronounced approximately “nees.”
• The ie sequence in niece can be remembered through words such as piece.
• For standard English writing, always choose niece, not neice.

People Also Ask

Conclusion

When choosing between niece and neice, use niece.

NIECE = correct ✅

NEICE = incorrect ❌

A niece is the daughter of your brother or sister, and the word is spelled N-I-E-C-E. Its plural is nieces, while its possessive forms are niece’s and nieces’.

The easiest way to remember the spelling is to focus on NI at the beginning and connect niece with piece, which also contains ie.

So whether you are writing a school assignment, professional email, birthday message, social media caption, or everyday text, the correct choice is simple:

My niece is coming to visit this weekend.