Be a Master Speller:

Follow the Rules

White Educational
Products

Englishspellingcanbefrustratingfor
nativespeakers,andespeciallyfornon
nativespeakers.
Englishisconsistentlyinconsistent;
therefore,followingrulesandsuggestions
offeredwillhelpyoubecomeaMaster
Spellerandwillhelpyoutobeabletofind
exceptionstorules.
White Educational
Products

Practice writing words

Break words up in syllables
Look the meaning up in a dictionary
Review for 15-20 min. daily
Create a sentence using spelling words
Create a story using spelling words

White Educational
Products

 We must know and understand the rules

of spelling in order to understand the
exceptions.
English is one of the most difficult
languages even for native speakers.

White Educational
Products

i before e, except after c

achieve, believe, bier, brief, chief,
fiend, friend, grief, grieve, hygiene,
patience, pierce, priest, thief
ceiling, conceive, conceit, deceive,
deceit, perceive, receipt, receive
White Educational
Products

Written by J.Nogowski

White Educational
Products

words that make the a sound

beige, freight, neighbor, sleigh, vein,
weight, and weigh

Exceptions that do not have a pattern

either, feint, foreign, forfeit, height, leisure,
neither, seize, weird
White Educational
Products

Change y to i when
adding an ending
supply
worry
merry

White Educational
Products

supplies
worries
merrier

supplied
worried

supplying
worrying

Wheningisadded,keepy.
cry
crying
cries
cried
study studying studies studied

Whenavowelcomesbeforethey,keepy
obey obeyed obeying obeys obeyer
say
said
saying says sayer
White Educational
Products

Add -s or es to
make words plural.
shoe + s =shoes
porch + es = porches
box + es =boxes
bush + es = bushes
blitz + es = blitzes

White Educational
Products

Words with a consonant ending plus -y,

change the -y to -i and add -es.
company y + i + es = companies

Words with a vowel ending plus y, keep

y and add -s
toy + s = toys

For proper nouns, keep y and add -s.

Kennedy + s = Kennedys
White Educational
Products

 The plain truth is they just need to

be memorized.

child
foot
goose
louse
man
mouse
ox
tooth
woman

White Educational
Products

=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=

children
feet
geese
lice
men
mice
oxen
teeth
women

Words that end in -ss, -sh, -ch or -x add -es.

switch = switches
Most nouns ending in f or fe add s.
Some change the f to v and add s or es.
belief = beliefs
half = halves
Most nouns ending in o add s.
Some add -es.
studio = studios
cargo = cargoes
White Educational
Products

Drop silenteiftheending
beginswithavowel.
advance + -ing = advancing
surprise + -ing = surprising

Keepsilent

iftheendingbeginswithaconsonant

advance + ment = advancement

like + ness = likeness

IfavowelcomesbeforesilenteDROPsilente
argue + -ment = argument
true + -ly = truly
White Educational
Products

Doubling final consonant when

adding ed, -ing, or a suffix
1. Single final consonant
2. And follows a single vowel
3. And the suffix begins with a vowel
4. One syllable or is stressed on the last syllable: In the
examples the trol syllable in control is stressed, while
the en of enter is stressed.

Control
enter
White Educational
Products

controlling controlled
entering
entered

controllable

ADMIT+ed=ADMITTED
1.
2.
3.
4.

ADMIT ends with a consonant

Follows a vowel
Accented on the last syllable
Therefore double the t before adding an -ing or ed
1. admitting
2. admitted

FLAP + -ed = FLAPPED

The word FLAP is a one syllable word
White Educational
Products

When there are two syllables with the stress on the

first syllable, do not double the consonant before.

COUNSEL+ing=COUNSELING
When there are two vowels together before the
consonant, do not double the consonant.

DESPAIR+ed=DESPAIRED
White Educational
Products

Words that end in

-c

Change the -c to -ck

panic
panicking
picnic
picnicking

White Educational
Products

With some verbs ending in -l, -m, and p

you can either double the consonant or
not.
travel

traveling or travelling

program programing or programming

worship worshiping or worshipping
White Educational
Products

Some words have silent letter combinations. You

must memorize these patterns.
gn, pn, kn= n
gnome
rh, wr = r
rhyme
pt, ght = t
ptomaine
ps, sc = s
psalm
wh = h
whole

White Educational
Products

pneumonia
wrestle
height
science

knife

"When two vowels go walking, the first

one does the talking?"
team
coat
wait
NOTE: There are plenty of Exceptions!!
White Educational
Products

Adding a prefix seldom changes the

spelling of a word.
misspelled
unnecessary
dissatisfied
disinterested
misinform
White Educational
Products

Becoming a Master Speller takes a

personal commitment
and
Finding your own method to add this
important skill to your writing arsenal.

White Educational
Products