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Tip 14 - -ant or -ent? -ance or -ence?
If you've really gotten into spelling competition, you most likely have run into the problem of spelling the
ending of a word that sounds like "uhnt". There are pretty much two things that could be; -ant or -ent. This one
is fairly simple.
RULE: After a soft c (as in cent) or a soft g (as in George) spell it a-n-t/a-n-c-e
After a hard c (as in cat) or a hard g (as in girl) spell it e-n-t/e-n-c-e
Tip 13 - when to change y to i before adding s or a suffix
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 01:08 — admin
We usually change y to i before adding an s or a suffix when a consonant comes before the y. Examples:
courtesy + s = courtesies
worry + some =worrisome
family + s = families
likely + hood = likelihood
Proper names are an exception to this rule:
Germanys, Kennys
We usually do not change y to i when a vowel comes before the y. Examples:
chimney + s = chimneys
boy + s = boys
We also do not change y to an i when the suffix begins with an i. Examples:
bully + ing = bullying
Tip 12 - Awkward double letters
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 00:27 — admin
When adding a prefix that ends in the same (consonant) letter as the first letter of the root word, or adding a
suffix that starts with the same (consonant) letter as the last letter in the root word - don't be tempted to drop one
of those letters. Some of these spellings may look awkward, but don't be fooled. This goes along with tip 8.
Don't change the root word when adding a prefix. Look at these frequently misspelled words:
adding a prefix:
un+necessary = unnecessary
in+numerable = innumerable
mis+spell = misspell (as we've said before - don't misspell this one!)
in+nocuous = innocuous
adding a sufix:
cool+ly = coolly
drunken+ness = drunkenness hotel+less = hotelless
Same goes for compound words:
book+keeper = bookkeeper
rough+hewn = roughhewn
Tip 11- Make a Spelling Notebook!
Any serious speller will want to have a spelling notebook of interesting words they find, or words you have
spelled incorrectly. There is no right or wrong way to create a notebook. I prefer to have a binder so I can add
pages. Alphabetical is not the only way to organize, though it may work for some. I have my words organized
by language of origin which is a good way to look for patterns. You may also consider sections for "words with
silent letters", "words with troublesome double letters", "homonyms," or organize by endings for example "ible" or "able" or "us" or "ous" - Whatever works for you.
Tip 10 - Adding Suffixes to Silent Consonants
Whenever you are obligated to spell a word with a silent letter that has a suffix like -ed or -ing joined at the end,
consider this rule: A word with a single silent consonant at the end remains unchanged when it is added. For
Example;
 chamois → chamoised, chamoising





crochet → crocheted, crocheting
hurrah → hurrahed, hurrahing
picot → picoted, picoting
bomb → bombed, bombing
comb → combed, combing
Tip 9- When to Double Consonants at the End of a Word
Double Consonants When a word ends in a single consonant, preceded by a single vowel, double the
consonant before adding a suffix beginning with a vowel, but don't double when adding a suffix beginning with
a consonant.
Ex:




slug + -ish = sluggish
beg + -ed = begged
shop + -ing> = shopping
big + -est = biggest




glad + -en> = gladden
stop + -able = stoppable
fit + -ing = fitting
spot + -ed = spotted
... it's a two-syllable word with an accent on the last syllable followed by a suffix beginning with a vowel.
Ex:
 begin + -ing = beginning
 regret + -able = regrettable
Do not double the final consonant when adding a suffix beginning with a consonant. Examples..




glad -> gladly
drop -> droplet
fit -> fitness
spot -> spotless
some exceptions:








chagrin -> chagrined, chagrining
combat ->combated, combating
chaperon -> chaperoned
defer -> deference
prefer -> preference
refer -> reference
transfer -> transference
gas -> gaseous, gasify, but gassed, gassing
both canceled and cancelled are acceptable (weird, but true)
Tip 8-Adding a Prefix
Adding a Prefix
When a prefix is added to a word, the spelling of the word itself stays the same. Examples:
mis+spell=misspell; in+native=innative; un+nerve =unnerve
There are no exceptions to this rule!
Tip 7 -ceed, -cede, or -sede?
-ceed, -cede, or -sede?
There is a very simple solution to this common problem. Memorize these few words, and your problems are
over!
-sede
The only -sede word in the English language is supersede!
-ceed
There are only three words in the English language with the suffix -ceed exceed
proceed and
succeed.
-cede
All the rest are -cede.
Tip 6 (see below)
Tip 5 - Combining Schwas
Combining Schwas
A schwa is an unstressed vowel sound that appears in lots of words and expressed as ə in dictionary
pronunciations such as the i in manicure or the o insaxophone.For when you come across a word that has a
tricky schwa in it, study the following origin schwa tips.
 In Latin, the combining schwa is usually an i as in investiture, the word that threw me off at the 2008 Denver
City Oral Spelling Bee.
 In Greek, the schwa is most commonly an o as in xylophone, kaleidoscope or onomatopoeia
Tip 4- Parts of Speech - "us" sound at end of word, and "ly" or "ally"
Parts of Speech
Did you ever see a speller ask for the part of speech in the Scripps National Spelling Bee? They ask that
question for a reason. In a moment, you will see the benefit of asking for the part of speech. Here are some tips
and tricks with parts of speech.
 When theres an "us" sound at the end of the word, ask for it's part of speech. If it's an adjective, then it is
always spelled with an -ous. Examples: serendipitous, ambiguous, ambitious, auspicious, barbarous, callous,
capricious, chivalrous, courageous, decorous, efficacious, ect.
 When it's a noun and it has the "us" sound at the end of it, then it's probably a -us or a -os, such as rhinoceros,
or celcius.
Tip 6 -able or -ible?
-able or -ible?
This is a common mistake many spellers come across when spelling a word that ends with the sound /əbəl/. There are many -ables but very few -ibles, so try to memorize all the ibles, and then you won't make
this mistake quite as often. Here are the -ibles in alphabetical order. (All the rest are ables.)
-ibles
A
accessible
addible
admissible
apprehensible
ascendible
audible
B
C
D
deducible
deductible
defensible
depressible
destructible
diffusible
digestible
dirigible
discernible
dispersible
distractible
divisible
E
edible
educible
eligible
erodible
erosible
eruptible
eversible
evincible
excludible
exhaustible
expansible
expressible
extendible
extensible
F
fallible
feasible
flexible
forcible
frangible
fusible
G
gullible
H
horrible
I
illegible
immersible
immiscible
impartible
impassible
imperceptible
impermissible
implausible
impossible
impressible
includible
incomprehensible
incompressible
incontrovertible
incorrigible
incredible
indefeasible
indefectible
indelible
inducible
ineludible
inexhaustible
infallible
infrangible
infusible
ingestible
insensible
insusceptible
intelligible
interruptible
invertible
invincible
irascible
irreducible
irrepressible
irresistible
irresponsible
irreversible
J
K
L
legible
M
mandible
miscible
N
negligible
O
omissible
ostensible
P
partible
perceptible
perfectible
permissible
persuasible
plausible
possible
producible
Q
R
reconstructible
reducible
remissible
reprehensible
repressibe
reproducible
resistible
responsible
reversible
revertible
risible
S
sensible
submergible
submersible
suggestible
suppressible
susceptible
T
tangible
terrible
transfusible
transmissible
U
V
vendible
visible
W
Z
Tip 3- Language of Origin
"May I have the language of origin, please?" If you watched the spelling bee you may have noticed some
spellers ask for the language of origin. The reason is that the language of origin gives clues about how to spell
the word. Here are a few examples...
 In words of Latin origin, the letter z is rarely seen. The letters k and w also do not exist unless it is passed
through another language before coming into English. Latin words have no rh's, ch's, or ph's, unless it has
passed through Greek origin as well.
 In words of Greek origin, the sound of a short i is spelled with a y most of the time, such as in gymnasium,
syzygy, dyslexic, and synonym. The f sound is often spelled ph as in alphabet, phonics and phobia.
 Many words from French have silent consonants like faux, roux, ( silent x ), and champagne.( silent g ).
 The letters ch and ll are considered single letters in Spanish. That's why these letter combinations pop up
often in English words derived from Spanish.
 English words of German origin use k's, ck's, and ch's. They don't have c's unless it has been passed down
from another language that uses c's frequently.
 The long a sound at the end of a word in Italian is often spelled with an e such as in vigilante, or macrame.
 Words derived from Japanese almost never have double consonants. The only exceptions are:hokku, issei,
momme, seppuku, teppanyaki,shikken and tenno.
Tip 2 - "ie" versus "ei"
We've all heard the "i" before "e" except after "c", and then you discover too many exceptions to name. BUT if
you learn the complete rule you will find there are very few exceptions. Here is the complete rule:
"I" before "E" except after C
Or when sounded like "I" as in Einstein
Or "A" as in neighbor and weigh
Neither, weird, foreign, leisure, seize, forfeit are common exceptions spelled right
But don't let the C-I-E-N words get you uptight.
(NOTE: Depending on how you pronounce "neither" it may not be an exception!)
Examples ;
Use I before E "ie" = believe, field, yield, priest, shield
Except after C "cei" =receive, receipt, conceited, conceive
Or when sounded as "I" as in Einstein "ei" = height, sleight, stein
Or "A" as in weigh "A" "ei" = weigh, weight, neighbor, sleigh, beige, heir, their
"But don't let the C-I-E-N words get you uptight." There are no C-E-I-N words in the English language!
Science, ancient, sufficient.
Also - remember all parts of the rule are for digraphs only and do not apply when the i and e each make a
distinct sound.
here is a list of the exceptions I have found...
caffeine
casein
codeine
either (depending on how you pronounce it, it is or isn’t an exception)
foreign
forfeit
heifer
sovereign
weird
financier
keister
leisure
monteith
onomatopoeia
sheikh, sheik
neither (depending on how you pronounce it)
obeisance
melopoeia
mythopoeia
pharmacopoeia
prosopopoeia
rhythmpoeia
protein
seize
seizing
counterfeit
madeira
plebeian
pleiades
reveille
glacier
Tip 1 - Adding a Suffix After Silent E
Drop the e when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel.
examples:
barbecue -> barbecuing
adventure -> adventurous
appreciate -> appreciative
Don't drop the e when adding a suffix beginning with a consonant.
examples:
gentle -> gentleness
grace -> graceful
Exception - when the word ends in ge or ce and the suffix begins with a or o don't drop the e
examples : notice -> noticeable
courage -> courageous