Spelling Rules
Rule 1 - One syllable words ending in f, l, s, after one vowel usually have ff, ll, and ss (buff, cuff, huff, puff, stuff, muff, fill, hill, mill, pill, miss, bliss).
Rule 2 - One syllable words ending in a consonant, after one vowel, double the consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel, but not if the suffix begins with a consonant.
Example - win -- winner, big -- bigger, bigness, roll -- roller, robber, beat -- beating, beater
Rule 3 - Words ending in silent e, drop the e, before a suffix beginning with a vowel, but do not drop the e before a suffix beginning with a consonant.
Example - hopeful, hoping.
Exceptions: words ending in cr or ge retain e before suffix beginning with a or o.
Example -
able | age | ing | different | one | ous | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
peace | change | mile | dye | due | duly | outrage |
trace | charge | acre | sing | true | truly | advantage |
notice | manager | hoe | whole | wholly | ||
service | exchange | shoe | awe | awful | ||
replace | judge | judgment | ||||
pronounce | argue | argument | ||||
acknowledge | argument |
Rule 4 - y following a consonant, drop, add i and suffix (unless suffix begins with i.)
Rule 5 - Words with more than one syllable, ending in a consonant, after one vowel, double the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel, if the accent is on the last syllable.
Example - beginning, opening
Rule 6 - Regular plurals add s
Rule 7 - Plurals of nouns ending in s, x, z, ch, sh, add es (e has the shwa sound.)
Example - glassss????, topazs???, try to pronounce ??????
Rule 8 - Nouns ending in y after a vowel add s. Nouns ending in y after a consonant change y to i and add es.
Rule 9 - Plural of nouns ending in o after a vowel add s. After a consonant, consult a dictionary.
Rule 10 - Most nouns ending in f or fe add s. Some change f or fe to ves:
Example -
f | fe |
---|---|
beef | beeves |
calf | calves |
elf | elves |
half | halves |
leaf | leaves |
loaf | loaves |
self | selves |
sheaf | sheaves |
shelf | shelves |
thief | thieves |
wolf | wolves |
f | fe |
---|---|
knife | knives |
wife | wives |
life | lives |
Irregular
deer | deer |
sheep | sheep |
moose | moose |
grouse | grouse/s |
swine | swine |
ox | oxen |
mouse | mice |
foot | feet |
tooth | teeth |
man | men |
woman | women |
Rule 11 - Possessives add ‘s if an s is there because of plural just add ‘. Personal pronoun need no ‘ (aphostrophe).
Rule 12 - Possessive of letters, figures, and sign, ‘s
Rule 13 - i before e except after c and all words sounding as a as in neighbor and weigh.
Exception: Neither the weird foreigner, nor the ancient financier can seize our ideas of leisure and sport at their height sufficient, efficient, deficient and science.
Rule 14 - Suffix ful differs from wordfull. Suffix never has twol’s
Example - joy joyful
Rule 15 - Add suffix ly to a base word does not change. If the original world ends in l then the next word has two l’s.
Rule 16 - Words ending in a diphthong, the second letter is y, remain unchanged before any suffix.
pray |
prayed |
praying |
play |
played |
playing |
buy |
buying |
|
delay |
delayed |
delaying |
relay |
relay |
relaying |
enjoy |
enjoyed |
enjoying |
employ |
employed |
employing |
prey |
preyed |
preying |
bray |
brayed |
braying |
stray |
strayed |
straying |
fray |
frayed |
fraying |
dismay |
dismayed |
dismaying |
destroy |
destroyed |
destroying |
display |
displayed |
displaying |
Exception: In the following words the y changes to i.
day |
daily |
say |
said |
lay |
laid |
pay |
paid |
gay |
Either gaily/ gaily |
slay | slain |
Final y after a consonant changes to i before any suffix except one beginning with i (ing, ist): (accompanist is an exception)
pity |
pitiful |
||
copy |
copied |
copying |
copyist |
er, est, ly, ness | ous | ance | able | ed, ing | al | ant | ist | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
noisy | spooky | glory | melody | rely | ply | spy | study | deny | ply | copy |
lucky | crafty | fury | luxury | defy | pity | cry | busy | rely | ||
plucky | ready | vary | harmony | comply | rely | dry | pity | comply | ||
worthy | busy | study | industry | ally | shy | fancy | defy | |||
heavy | merry | envy | perfidy | try | occupy | |||||
murky | steady | mystery | ceremony | fry | justify | |||||
dusty | healthy | injury | parsimony | carry | copy | |||||
moldy | dainty | victory | multiply | |||||||
jelly | sleepy | supply | ||||||||
moody | embody |
Exceptions: The following words retain y before ly and ness, but usually follow the rule before other suffixes.
y before ly |
ness |
But |
ier |
iest |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
dry |
dryly |
dryness |
drier |
driest |
|
shy |
shyly |
shyness |
shier |
shiest |
|
sly |
slyly |
slyness |
slier |
sliest |
|
spry |
spryly |
sprier |
spriest |
||
wry |
wryly |
wrier |
wriest |
Rule 17 - The prefixes dis andmis are placed before a word without altering its spelling; dissatisfy, misdeed.
Hint: Before you write one these types of words think of the root before and then you will know if it has a doubles.
Rule 18 - The final consonant of a prefix may change to match the following letter or to a letter more easily blended with it.
Example - collide instead of con lide
Double letter are frequently the cause of this.
imperfect |
impossible |
impure |
immovable |
immediate |
immortal |
illegal |
illiberal |
illegible |
irregular |
irresponsible |
irrepressible |
Hint: Pronounce words like this and you usually can hear which sounds better - in perfect or im perfect.