Download 10 Quick Rules for Spelling

3 Rules
for words
ending in
SILENT
E
& 2 Rules
for words
ending in
Y
-LY
-NESS
PREFIXES
CEDE
10 Quick Rules for Spelling
1) DROP E when SUFFIX* is ADDED, which
begins with a VOWEL: bake = baking
2) BUT KEEP E if preceded by C or G when
suffix begins with an A or O:
dance = danceable
3) ALSO KEEP E if suffix begins with a
CONSONANT: lame = lameness
4) Keep Y if word ends in VOWEL + Y:
delay = delaying
EXCEPTIONS: day = daily, gay = gaily
5) CHANGE Y to I if word ends in CONSONANT
+ Y: happy = happily
EXCEPTIONS: if SUFFIX is ING: try = trying AND some
one syllable words: dry + ness = dryness
6) KEEP BOTH Ls when adding –ly to words
that end in l and KEEP BOTH Ns when
adding –ness to words ending in n:
actual = actually, thin = thinness
7) DO NOT change spelling of word: un+happy
=unhappy
8) If word ends with the sed sound, spell it cede
EXCEPTIONS: exceed, proceed, succeed
IE OR EI
?
9) I BEFORE E EXCEPT AFTER C or when it
sounds like A as in NEIGHBOR or WEIGH
EXCEPTIONS: either, neither, weird, leisure, species,
seize, financier
DOUBLING
10) DOUBLE final consonant when preceded by
FINAL
one VOWEL: big = bigger BUT NOT TWO
CONSONANT
or more VOWELS: heat = heated;
if 2 or more
DOUBLE as above IF accent is on the last
syllables
syllable: refer = referral EXCEPT when the
accent shifts when a suffix is added: prefer =
preference
PREFIX = BEFORE
SUFFIX = AFTER VOWELS = A, E, I, O, U
CONSONANTS = ALL OTHER LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET
SPELLING PLURALS
Plurals are tricky, no mistake! If you are unsure (do I add an –s,
or an –es, or what?), first consult a dictionary or spellcheck.
SOME GENERAL RULES
1) Add an –s to a singular (one) NOUN: king = kings
girl = girls
door = doors
2) Add –es to a NOUN ending in –ch, -sh, –x, or –s:
church = churches
wish = wishes
fox = foxes
boss = bosses
*Some words that end in only one –s may follow this –es pattern (or not):
buses or busses, both are correct.
3) For singular nouns ending in –y, change that –y to –i and add
–es:
company = companies
monopoly = monopolies
4) Add –es to a noun ending in –y if preceded by a vowel, but
change that –y to –i first, please:
money = monies
EXCEPTIONS: monkey = monkeys, honey = honeys, etc.
ALWAYS SPELLCHECK OR CONSULT A DICTIONARY FIRST