Eight Essential Spelling Rules
This section explains eight spelling rules that you can use to spell hundreds of
words correctly
Rule for -ie and -ei
You can avoid most misspellings of words that contain the -ie or -ei vowel
combination by . learning the rule that is summarized in the following jingle:
Write i before e
Except after c
Or when sounds like a
As in neighbor and weigh
The rule for ie and ei is in three parts:
- Usually spell the combination -ie, as in believe.
- However, spell -ei when the combination follows the letter -c, as in receive.
- Also, spell -ei when the combination has the sound of a long -a, as in weigh (wa).
Exceptions to this rule include words in which the combination should be spelled
-ie but is spelled -ei: caffeine, either, foreign, height, leisure, neither,
protein, their, and weird. There are also words in which the combination follows
-c and should be spelled -ei but is spelled -ie. In these words, -c is
pronounced -sh: ancient, conscience, deficient, efficient, proficient, and
sufficient. Remember to spell -ie rather than -ei after c when
c spells the
sound of -sh.
The Word + Word Rule
The Word + Word Rule explains how to join words to form compound words such as
fireworks.
Usually join two words without changing their spellings
Here are some examples
of how to use the Word + Word Rule:
- book + keeper = bookkeeper
- room + mate = roommate
- fire + arms = firearms
Exceptions to this rule include almost, already, although,
altogether, always,
oneself, pastime, and wherever.
The Prefix + Word Rule
The Prefix + Word Rule may used to avoid spelling errors such as mispell
(misspell) and unecessary (unnecessary).
Join a prefix and a word without changing the spelling of the prefix or the
word.
Here are some examples of how to use the Prefix + Word Rule:
- mis + spell =
misspell
- un + necessary = unnecessary
- dis + appear = disappear
There are no exceptions to the Prefix + Word Rule.
The Word + Suffix Rule
You can use this rule and the following rules in this section to reduce or
eliminate spelling errors caused by uncertainty about how to join words and
suffixes. The first of these is the Word + Suffix Rule.
Usually join a word and a suffix without changing the spelling of the word or
the suffix
Here are some examples:
- usual + ly = usual
- clean + ness = cleanness
- poison + ous = poisonous
The word eighteen is one of the exceptions to this rule; according to the rule,
it should be spelled eightteen, but it is not. Other exceptions are given in the
explanations of the remaining rules.
Final -e Rule
The Word + Suffix Rule is not used when adding suffixes to words that end in
silent e.
When a word ends in silent -e, usually drop the -e if
you are adding a suffix that begins with a vowel, but retain the -e when you are
adding a suffix that begins with a consonant.
Silent -e is an -e such as the one in love, which you do not hear when love is
pronounced. Since love ends in silent e and the suffix -able begins with a
vowel, drop -e when joining love and -able:
However, since the suffix -less begins with a consonant, retain the -e in love
when joining love and -less:
Exceptions to this rule include words in which -e should be retained but is
dropped: acknowledgment, argument, awful, duly, judgment,
ninth, truly, wholly,
and wisdom. Other exceptions include words ending in -ce or -ge in which -e is
not dropped when you add -able or -ous: courageous, manageable,
noticeable,
outrageous, peaceable, serviceable, and traceable.
You can eliminate the last nine words as exceptions to the rule by understanding
why -e is not dropped from words ending in -ce or -ge when adding the suffixes
-able and -ous. The letters -c and -g are usually pronounced -s and
-j before the
letters -e and -i, but -k and -g before the letters -a and -o. The incorrect
spelling noticable would mean that you would pronounce the -c as a -k rather
than as an -s (you would say notikable rather than notisable). Similarly, the
incorrect spelling couragous would mean that you would pronounce the -g as a -g
rather than as a -j (you would say couragous rather than courajous). The -e is
retained to preserve the -s and -j pronunciations of -c and
-g.
Final -y Rule
The Word + Suffix Rule is not used when adding suffixes to words that end in
-y.
When a word ends in -y, usually change the -y to -i when you are adding a suffix if
the -y is preceded by a consonant, but do not
change it if the -y is preceded by a vowel or if you are adding the suffix -ing.
Notice that the -y in study is preceded by the consonant -d and that they in
destroy is preceded by the vowel -o:
Since the -y in study is preceded by a consonant, change -y to -i when adding a
suffix:
On the other hand, since they in destroy is preceded by a vowel, do not change
-y
to -i when adding the suffix -ing:
- destroy + -ed = destroyed
In addition, when -y is preceded by a consonant, do not change -y to -i when
adding the suffix -ing.
If the -y were changed to -i before adding -ing, then studying would be spelled
studiing, which you should recognize as incorrect because few words contain the
spelling -ii.
Except for daily, the exceptions to the Final -y Rule are words that you are not
likely to use when you write: dryly, dryness, shyly, shyness,
slyly, slyness,
gaiety, and gaily.
Final Consonant Rule 1
The Word + Suffix Rule is not used to join suffixes to words that end in one
consonant preceded by one vowel.
Final Consonant Rule 1 and Final Consonant Rule 2 pertain to words such as ship
and commit, which end in one consonant preceded by one vowel. Below, the letter
c indicates consonants, and the v indicates a vowel:
Final Consonant Rule 1 explains how to join suffixes to one-syllable words that
end in the cvc combination.
When a one-syllable word ends in the cvc combination, usually double the final
consonant when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel but do not double it
when adding a suffix that begins with a consonant.
Ship is a one-syllable word that ends in the cvc combination, so double the
final consonant when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel:
However, do not double the final consonant when adding a suffix that begins with
a consonant:
Final Consonant Rule 1 does not apply to words that end in two consonants
preceded by one vowel (vcc) or to words that end in one consonant preceded by
two vowels (vvc):
| |
v |
c |
c |
 |
|
v |
v |
c |
| w |
a |
r |
m |
|
n |
e |
a |
t |
The rule does not apply to words such as warm and neat because they do not end
in the cvc combination.
Final Consonant Rule 2
Final Consonant Rule 2 explains how to join suffixes to words of more than one
syllable that end in the cvc combination.
When a word of more than one-syllable ends in the cvc combination and it is
accented on the last syllable, usually double the final consonant when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel but do not double it when adding a suffix that
begins with a consonant.
Commit is accented on the last syllable and ends in the cvc combination:
Therefore, double the final consonant when adding a suffix that begins with a
vowel:
- commit + -ing = committing
However, do not double the final consonant when adding a suffix that begins with
a consonant:
- commit + -ment = commitment
Final Consonant Rule 2 does not apply to words that end in two consonants
preceded by one vowel (vcc) or to words that end in one consonant preceded by
two vowels (vvc):
| |
|
|
v |
c |
c |
|
|
|
|
|
v |
v |
c |
| i |
n |
t |
e |
n |
d |
|
c |
o |
n |
t |
a |
i |
n |
The rule does not apply to words such as intend and contain because they do not
end in the cvc combination.
Also, notice that Final Consonant Rule 2 does not apply unless words are
accented on the last syllable of the base word after the suffix is added. Confer
and refer end in the cvc combination:
| |
|
|
c |
v |
c |
|
|
|
c |
v |
c |
| c |
o |
n |
f |
e |
r |
|
r |
e |
f |
e |
r |
However, confer and refer are not accented on the last syllable after the suffix
-ence is added:
- confer + -ence = conference
- refer + -ence = reference
Since confer and refer are not accented on the last syllable, their final
consonants are not doubled in conference and reference.
Exceptions to this rule include words in which a consonant should not be doubled
but is: cancellation, crystallize, equipped, excellence,
excellent, and
questionnaire. There are also two words in which a consonant should be doubled
but is not: transferable and transference.
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