Recieved or Received: Correct Spelling, Meaning, Examples, and Memory Tips Explained Clearly

Received is the correct spelling. Recieved is a common misspelling. Use received when you mean got, accepted, obtained, heard, or were given something. The spelling is tricky because the middle letters are ei, not ie. The key clue is the c: after c, the spelling is usually ei.

Quick Answer

Use received, not recieved.

• Correct: I received your email yesterday.
• Correct: She received a gift from her friend.
• Correct: The company received many applications.

Recieved is not the standard spelling.

• Incorrect: I recieved your email yesterday.
• Incorrect: She recieved a gift from her friend.

The simple rule is: received has “ei” after c.

Recieved or Received: What Is the Difference?

The difference between recieved and received is spelling. Received is the correct past tense and past participle of receive. Recieved is a misspelling caused by reversing the e and i.

Word	Status	Example
Received	Correct spelling	We received the package.
Recieved	Incorrect spelling	We recieved the package.

If you are writing for school, work, email, business, resumes, reports, or website content, always use received.

What Does Received Mean?

Received means got, accepted, took in, heard, or were given something. It is the past tense of receive.

Examples:

• I received your message this morning.
• The teacher received the assignment late.
• They received help from their neighbors.
• The book received excellent reviews.
• He received a warning after the mistake.

Received can be used for physical things, digital messages, information, awards, reactions, treatment, and responses. You can receive a package, an email, a compliment, a payment, a signal, or an answer.

What Does Recieved Mean?

Recieved is a misspelling of received. It is understandable because many English words use ie, but this word does not. The correct spelling keeps ei after the letter c.

Examples:

• Incorrect: We recieved your order.
• Correct: We received your order.
• Incorrect: She recieved the award last night.
• Correct: She received the award last night.

Even though readers may understand recieved, it looks incorrect in polished writing. The correct form is always received.

Spelling Structure: Why Received Uses EI

The most important part of received is the middle:

• Correct: received
• Incorrect: recieved

The word comes from receive. When you make it past tense, you add d:

• receive + d = received

The spelling of the base word does not change. Since receive has ei, received also has ei.

This is the key spelling pattern:

• receive
• received
• receiving
• receiver
• receipt

All of these related words keep the cei pattern. That pattern is your biggest clue.

The “I Before E” Rule

You may have heard the rule: i before e except after c. This rule is not perfect for every English word, but it helps with received.

Because received has a c before the vowel pair, the order is:

• c + ei

That gives you:

• received

Do not write recieved, because that puts ie after c. The correct spelling follows the useful part of the rule: after c, use ei.

When to Use Received

Use received when someone got something.

• I received the package.
• She received a letter from the school.
• They received the payment on Friday.

Use received when someone was given an award, honor, response, or treatment.

• He received a medal for bravery.
• The movie received positive reviews.
• The patient received excellent care.

Use received in business and email writing.

• Your application has been received.
• We received your request.
• The invoice was received yesterday.

In all of these sentences, the spelling stays the same: received.

Received vs Receiving

The same spelling rule applies to receiving. It also uses ei after c.

• Correct: receiving
• Incorrect: recieving

Examples:

• She is receiving treatment.
• We are receiving too many calls.
• The warehouse is receiving new stock today.

If you remember received, you can also remember receiving. Both belong to the same spelling family.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake is reversing the e and i.

Incorrect:

• I recieved your text.
• The office recieved the form.
• He recieved a promotion.

Correct:

• I received your text.
• The office received the form.
• He received a promotion.

Another mistake is trying to spell the word by sound. The pronunciation does not clearly tell you whether to write ie or ei, so you need to remember the written pattern.

How to Remember Received

Use these memory tips:

• Received has ei after c: received.
• Think: receive + d = received.
• Do not change the spelling of receive when adding d.
• Remember the helpful rule: after c, use ei.

A simple memory sentence is: You receive with “cei,” so you received with “cei.”

You can also picture the word in chunks:

• re + cei + ved

The middle chunk, cei, is the part to memorize. If you spell that part correctly, the whole word becomes much easier.

Final Answer

Received is the correct spelling. It means got, accepted, obtained, heard, or were given something. Example: I received your email.

Recieved is a misspelling and should be avoided. To remember the correct spelling, focus on the middle letters: received has “ei” after “c.” The correct structure is receive + d = received.