Spelling Rules: Year 5/6 - What I Need to Know

Spelling Rules: Year 5/6 - what I need to know

Spelling Rules Examples Exceptions

-cious If root word ends in –ce, vicious, malicious, anxious the sound is usually spelt suspicious as c -cious -tious ambitious, cautious, nutritious -cial -cial comes after a vowel official, special letter

-tial -tial after a consonant partial, essential

There are some initial, financial, exceptions commercial -ant, -ance, - ancy Where root words end in observant, observance –ant, -ance/-ancy are (observation), used. expectant, (expectation), tolerant, If root word can add the tolerance (toleration) ending –ation, the words usually take, –ance/- ancy.

-ent, -ence/-eny Use –ent and –ence/ innocent, innocence, -ency after a soft c, soft decent, decency g and qu. frequent, frequency

If root verb has a infer, inference stressed -er, then it takes -ence

-able, -ably, -ible, -ibly As with –ant and –ance/ adorable/adorably -ancy, the ending is used (adoration), if there is a related word applicable/applicably ending in -action. (application)

-able/-ably when a dependable, complete root word can comfortable, be heard. understandable

-ible/-ibly when you possible, horrible, cannot hear a complete terrible root word visible

There are some sensible exceptions to –ible

Spelling Rules Exceptions Examples -fer The r is doubled if the referring, referred, -fer is still stressed preferred, transferred when the ending is added.

The r is not doubled if reference, referee, the –fer is no longer preference, stressed. transference - hyphen Hyphens can be used to co-ordindate, join a prefix to a root re-enter, co-operate word, especially if the prefix ends in a vowel letter and the root word also begins with one. -ei after c The ‘i before e except receive, conceive, protein, caffeine, seize after c’ rule applies to ceiling, deceive and words where the sound either and neither if spelt by ei is ee. pronounced with an initial ‘i’ sound. ough is one of the ought, bought, thought -ough trickiest spellings in rough, tough, enough English – it can be used cough to spell a number of though, dough different sounds. through thorough, borough plough, bough Homophones -ce, -se Nouns are spelt with –ce advice/advise and verbs with –se. device/devise licence/license practice/practise Silent letters Silent letters, i.e. letters doubt, island, lamb, whose presence cannot solemn, thistle, knight be predicted from the pronunciation of the word. Some letters that are no longer sounded used to be sounded hundreds of years ago: e.g. in knight, there was a ‘k’ sound before the ‘n’ and gh used to represent the sound that ’ch’ now represents in the word loch. Spelling Rules: Year 3/4 - what I need to know

Spelling Exceptions Rules Examples Prefixes Most prefixes are added to the beginning of root words without any changes in spelling.

dis and mis have dis -: disappoint, negative meanings disagree, disobey

mis-: misbehave, mislead, misspell (mis + spell)

Prefix in- can mean ‘not’ in-: meaning not and ‘in/into’ . inactive, incorrect

Before a root word illegal, illegible starting with l, in- becomes il-

Before a root word immature, imperfect, starting with m or, in impossible becomes im-.

Before a root word irregular, irrelevant, starting with r, in- irresponsible becomes ir-.

re- means ‘again’ or re-: redo, refresh, ‘back’. return, reappear

sub- means ‘under’. sub-: subheading, submarine, submerge

inter- means ‘between’ inter-: interact, or ‘among’. intercity, international

super- means ‘above’. super-: supermarket, superstar, superman

anti- means ‘against’. anti-: antiseptic, anticlockwise, antisocial

auto- means ‘self’ or auto-: autobiography, ‘own’ autograph.

Spelling Examples Exceptions Rules Adding suffixes If last syllable of a word forgetting, forgotten is stressed and ends in a beginning, beginner consonant that has a prefer, preferred vowel before it, then the consonant is doubled if the ending added begins with a vowel. gardening, gardener, The consonant is not limiting, limited. doubled if the syllable is unstressed. Suffix -ation Suffix -ation is added to information, adoration, verbs to form nouns. sensation, admiration

Suffix -ly The suffix -ly is added to sadly, completely, an adjective to form a usually (usual + ly), verb. finally (final + ly) The suffix -ly starts with a consonant letter, so it is added straight on to most root words.

Exceptions If root words end in –y with a consonant before happily, angrily it, the y is changed to i, but only if root word has more than 1 syllable.

If the root word ends with -le, the –le is gently, simply, humbly changed to -ly.

The root word ends with –ic, -ally is added rather basically, frantically than just –ly, (except publicly). -sure, -ture If the ending sounds like measure, treasure sh it is spelt –sure. pleasure

It the ending sounds like creature, furniture, ch it is spelt -ture. picture

But check that the word is not a root word ending in t(ch) with an er ending - e.g. teacher, catcher, richer

Rules Examples Exceptions Spelling

Suffix -ous -ous is added to the root poisonous, dangerous, word, sometimes there various is no obvious root word. enormous, jealous

-our is changed to -or humorous, glamorous before -ous is added.

A final ‘e’ of the root courageous, outrageous word must be kept if the sound ‘g’ is to be kept.

Suffix -ous If there is an ’i’ sound serious, obvious before the –ous ending it is usually spelt as i, but hideous, courteous a few words have e.

-sion If the ending sounds like division, confusion, –shun it is spelt as -sion decision, television

-tion, -sion, -tion if used if the root invention, injection -ssion, -cian word end in t or te. completion

-ssion is used if the root expression, discussion, word ends in ss or –mit confession

-sion is used if the root expansion, extension, attend - attention words ends in d or se. tension intend - intention

-cian is used if the root musician, electrician, politician word ends in c or cs.

‘u’ sound spelt These words should be young, touch, double, ‘ou’ learnt as needed. trouble, country

‘i’ sound spelt These words should be myth, gym, Egypt, ‘y’ learnt as needed. pyramid, mystery

‘k’ sound spelt ‘ch’ scheme, chorus, chemist, echo, character

‘sh’ sound spelt ‘ch’ chef, chalet, machine, brochure

Words ending with ‘g’ league, tongue sound spelt ‘gue’ and antique, unique ‘k’ sound spelt ‘que’

Spelling Examples Exceptions Rules Words with the science, scene, ‘s’ discipline, fascinate, sound spelt ‘sc’ crescent

Words with the vein, weigh, eight, ‘ay’ neighbour, they, obey sound spelt ei, eigh, or ey

Possessive The apostrophe is placed girls’, boys’, babies’, apostrophe with after the plural form of children’s, men’s, mice’s plural words the word; -s is not added if the plural already ends (Note: singular proper in –s, but is added if the nouns ending in an s plural does not end in –s use the ‘s suffix e.g. (i.e. is an irregular plural Cyprus’s population) – e.g. children’s).