Spelling Rule and Mistakes

Elsadig Agabna

BASIC FACTS ABOUT SPELLING IN ENGLISH

Words in English language compose of at least one letter and
every word must have at least one vowel, but Some words are
just a vowel (I, a).
A consonant blend is when we put two or three consonants next
to each other: e.g. br; cl;
A consonant digraph is when we put two consonants next to each
other to create a sound different to the separate consonants: e.g.
sh, th, ph, ch.
A vowel digraph is when we put two vowels, or a vowel and a
consonant, together to make a new vowel sound: e.g. ar; oy; ea;
ai.
A split vowel digraph is when the two vowels in a digraph are split
by a consonant. The second vowel is always e. (This rule used to
be called magic e!) e.g. bake, wine, pole, tube, these.

Spelling rules in English

English is a very difficult language to
spell correctly. There are some rules,
but there are nearly always
exceptions to them. Much of English
spelling has to be learned off by
heart, which is why some people find
it so difficult.

THE FLOSSY RULE

This rule is about when to use double -ff, -ss, -ll, -zz
or single letter .
It also tells you when to use tch or ch, and when to
use ck or k.
If a single syllable word has a single vowel, then you
should use the double letters, -tch or -ck.
Examples
staff mass call jazz match lack
cliff less bell fizz fetch wreck
cuff hiss sill buzz hitch sick

loss doll botch lock

fuss bull hutch truck

 However, if a single-syllable word contains a

vowel digraph*, then it does not end with a
double letter.
Instead of -ff -f Instead of -ss -se Instead of
-ll -l Instead of -tch -ch Instead of -ck -k

Examples
Leaf house peel reach beak
loaf please seal leech seek
roof noise coil porch pork
reef moose howl couch
squawk
half coarse foul

 Also, if another consonant comes after a

single vowel, before the final consonant,
then
the single letter, or ch, is used:
Examples
gulf tense belch milk
self lapse filch sulk
else gulch bank

branch wink

stench risk

finch dusk

Adding Ing to A word

word is a one-syllable word and follows the consonant-vowel-consonant
(CVC) pattern, double the final consonant before adding the -ing.
dig = digging
mop = mopping
nap = napping
run = running
pet = petting
This rule also applies to words that have two syllables and the second
syllable follows the CVC pattern and is also the accented (emphasized)
syllable.
remit = remittance
refer = referred
concur = concurrent

DO NOT DOUBLE
the t for verbs of one syllable with a double
vowel or a long vowel sound (e.g. treat >
treating, treated; greet > greeting, greeted)
the r for verbs of one syllable when the final r is
preceded by a double vowel (e.g. fear >fearing,
feared)
the r for words of more than one syllable, when
the stress falls on the first syllable (e.g. prosper
> prospered, prospering)
the l when it is preceded by a double vowel (e.g.
conceal > concealing, concealed).

 When adding -ing (or any other suffix that begins

with a vowel) to a word that ends in a silent e,
drop the e before adding the -ing.
hope = hoping ache = aching fame = famous
globe = global offense = offensive
However, if the suffix begins with a consonant,
such as -ful, you leave the final e on the base
word.
hope = hopeful spite = spiteful love = loveless
age = ageless
But, if the word ends in -ce or -ge and the
incoming vowel is an a, o, or u,you cannot omit
the silent e.
manage = manageable courage = courageous
notice = noticeable

Dropping letters
Many words drop a letter when adding a suffix, but it is not
always the final letter :
Argue argument; proceed procedure; humour humorous;
disaster disastrous;
repeat
repetition; administer
administration
There is no reliable rule covering these words, so they simply
have to be memorised.
. Word endings such as able/ible, ant/ance; ent/ence
negligible, incredible, invisible, sensible, admirable, preventable,
suitable, dependable
attendance, ignorance, nuisance, importance sentence,
difference ,independence, intelligence
There is no reliable rule covering these words, so they simply
have to be memorised.

Silent letters
Some words include letters which are
not pronounced when the word is
spoken.
advertisement, campaign, column,
debt, design, doubt, gauge, ghetto,
heir, knife, knowledge, island,
mortgage, often, pneumatic, rhythm,
solemn, subtle

I e, C
Write i before e, except after c
unless it says a as in neighbor and weigh.
e.g. achieve, believe, friend receive, receipt,
perceive
Write ie after c for words with a shen sound.
ancient, efficient, sufficient, conscience
Write ei when the vowels sounds like an a as in
'weigh neighbour, vein
Exception : Words like counterfeit, either,
neither, height, leisure, , foreign, science,
species, seize,

Rule for Plural

s or es : Add es if a word ends in ch, sh, ss, x or z arch > arches, clash
> clashes, class > classes,
box > boxes, quiz > quizzes
Add es for most words ending in o : tomato > tomatoes, hero > heroes,
go > goes,
do > does, echo > echoes: Words like altos, duos, pianos, radios, solos
sopranos, studios, videos, typos
y to i or not
For words ending in y preceded by a vowel, keep the y when adding s
or a suffix. convey > conveys, employ > employer
For words ending in y, retain the y when adding ing. try > trying, justify >
justifying, certify >
certifying, study > studying
For words ending in y, preceded by a consonant, change the y to i before
any other suffix
try > tried, justify > justifies, certify > certifiable, mystify > mystified,
laboratory > laboratories
Exceptions: Words like dryness, shyness

Drop he final e

when the suffix starts with a vowel.

save savable, use
usable
when the word ends in dge.
judge judgment
But if the word ends in ce or ge (e.g.
manage > manageable, trace > traceable)
when adding ing
save saving, manage
managing,
trace tracing, emerge
emerging

Sh Sound
: When it occurs before a suffix that begins with a vowel, it is
spelled with a ti, si, or ci.: partial cautious patient vacation
nutrition quotient inertia suction pension suspension tension
expulsion special deficient suspicion musician physician optician
electrician
When deciding whether to use -cian, -tion, or -sion, remember
these helpful hints. -cian is always used when the word refers to
a person, and -tion and -sion are never used for people. musician,
electrician, physician
If the root word ends in a /t/, then use -tion. complete =
completion vacate = vacation
If the root word ends in an s or d, then use sion. suppress =
suppression extend = extension
If the sound of the last syllable is the heavy sound /zhun/ and
not the soft sound /shun/, then use -sion. confusion, vision,
adhesion

1. Prefixes

Add prefix to root

dis + appear = disappear
un + usual = unusual
im + mortal = immortal
dis + appoint = disappoint
mis + spent = misspent
re + elect = re-elect (or reelect)

2. Suffixes Add suffix to root

real + ly = really manage + ment = management like + ly = likely

like + ness = likeness use + ful = useful care + fully = carefully
safe + ty = safety entire + ly = entirely immediate + ly = immediately
formal + ly = formally usual + ly = usually wool + ly = woolly
Note: If root (desire) ends in vowel and suffix begins with a vowel (e),
drop the final vowel
of the root before adding the suffix (desirable). move + able = movable
combine + ation = combination fame + ous = famous scarce + ity =
scarcity
lose + ing = losing write + ing = writing shine + ing = shining
Words ending in ce or ge usually keep the e before a suffix beginning
with a or o in order
to retain the soft sound of the c or g:
change changeable advantage advantageous knowledge
knowledgeable courage courageous service serviceable
Before suffixes beginning with i, the e is usually chopped:
force forcing reduce reducible finance financial
Exceptions: age ageing singe singeing

 mdcine... med cin al ... i acadmy ... a cad m

ic ... e
authr ... auth r it y ... o custdy ... cust di an ... o
neutrl ... neu trl it y ... a remdy ... rem di al ... e
Now try these change to find the correct vowel for
each of the following:
personl person l ity
similr simil r ity
metl metl lic orgn orgn ic
Humn humn ity legl legl ity
editr edtr ial tutr tutr ial
parnt parnt al originl originl ity
civl civl ian idit idit ic
brutl brutl ity totl totl ity

COMMON TYPES OF ERRORS

INTERCHANGING ANT AND ENT ENDINGS, OR ANGE AND ENCE

. minent, occurrence, persvrance, relevant,

respondent
These endings sound virtually the same, and
there's no rule that will tell you which is
correct for a given word. (Some words in fact
may go either way: dependant or dependent,
dependence or dependence, descendant or
descendent.)

INTERCHANGING ABLE AND IBLE

ENDINGS
accessible, compatible, deductible, fallible,
indispensable, interruptible, permissible
Like ant and ent, these sounds are indistinguishable to the ear, so you must memorize
the right spelling for each word. The more
common ending is able, so writers are more
likely to err when the ending should be ible.
some words can go either way: For example,
extendable and extendible are both correct.)

CONFUSION OVER DOUBLE

CONSONANTS
accommodate, Britannia, commitment, jackknifed, necessary,
occurrence, Philippines, threshold
Words with double consonants tend to be troublesome. Errors
include doubling the wrong letter, wrongly doubling more than one
and doubling just one instead of two. It's also a common mistake to
omit the doubling altogether if the word is a compound where the
last letter of the first part and the first letter of the second part
happen to be the same (jackknife, misspelling-although note
that some can go either way, such as granddaddy!grandaddy).
Conversely, writers sometimes mistake a word for a compound,
and
double a letter that they shouldn't (threshold is not a combination
of thresh and hold).

absence
accept
accidentally
accommodate
accompanied
accompanying
acquaintance
across
advice
advise
affect
aggressive
aisles
allege
allocate
all right
along
all ready
already
alright
always
amateur
analyse
annoying
answer
anxious
apparatus
appearance
applied
appointment
appreciate
approach
approve
arctic
arduous
argument
arrangement
arrival
ascent
assistant
assistance
asthma
athletics
atmosphere
attract
average
awareness
awkward
behalf
beneficial
benefit
bleeding
brilliant
beginning
belief
believe
bicycle
Britain
bulletin
bureau
buried
business
busy

cafeteria
cancel
candles
captain
carbon
caricature
catalogue
caution
certain
chairs
champagne
changeable
character
chasing
chauffeur
chemistry
choose
climbed
confirm
coming
committee
communities
compelled
completely
conceive
conscience
conscientious
consensus
convenience
courteous
courtesy
criticism
calendar
campaign
capital
cemetery
clothes
coarse
column
competent
consistent
corporation
course
deceive
decided
defeat
develop
development
divine
doesnt
definite
definitely
definition
describe
description
desert
desirable
despair
desperate
dessert
devote
diagnosis
dictator
different
disappear
disappoint
disapprove
disastrous
discipline
discussed
discrepancy
dispute
disturbed
diving
doctor
drains

eighth
equipped
embarrass
empty
entitled
encounter
endeavour
equipment
escape
especially
essential
esteemed
evidence
exaggerated
exceedingly
exceptions
excessive
exclusive
experience
extension
extremely
effect
emphasize
excellent
except
eligible
faithfully
familiar
fascinating
*favourable
*favourite
federal
finally
firmly
foreign
freight
friend
February
fastidious
flexible
fourth
gains
generally
genuine
genius
groceries
government
governor
grammar
gradations
gregarious
guarantee
guidance
guilty
handsome
happiness
hardware
heard
height
holiday
human
hungry
humorous

identification
imagine
immediately
inaudible
incessant
incline
indefinite
indigestion
individual
instead
interchangeable
interested
interfere
independent
installed
interrupt
introduce
irritated
issued
itemized
its
it's
jealous
jewellery
knowledge
laid
laboratory
leisure
length
library
loose
lose
losing
magazine
maintenance
marriage
material
meant
medicine
memory
method
military
mineral
minimum
minute
mathematics
mischievous
misspell
morning
mortgage
miscellaneous
magnificent
manufacturer
naturally
necessary
nickel
niece
nineteen
ninety
nocturnal
northern
notice
noticeable
nuisance
occasion
occurred
occurring
omitted

opinion
opportunity
opposite
original
paid
pamphlet
parallel
parliament
pastime
peculiar
perfume
perhaps
permanent
persuade
physical
physician
piece
planned
pleasant
plumbing
pneumonia
poison
possess
postpone
practically
prepared
principal
principle
privilege
process
professional
probably
prodigy
professor
profitable
pronunciation
propriety
psychology
purchase
purpose
quarrel
quiet
quite
reality
really
receipt
recipe
recently
reference
referred
regular
relative
relief
relieve
remained
remember
resources
respectfully
realize
recognize
recommend
recommendation
reliable
religious
repetition
responsible
restaurant
reticent
referral
reverse
review
rhythm

safety
sandwich
sane
scarce
Saturday
saving
schedule
scrap
secretary
sentence
seize
separate
several
sheriff
shining
sincerely
similar
speech
spontaneous
sophomore
straight
studying
succeed
success
sufficient
superintendent
surprise
surely
surveillance
subtle
spontaneous
tariff
temperament
their
there
theyre
thoroughly
to
together
too
tragedy
transferred
tried
tries
truly
Tuesday
typical
two
temperament
until
usually
valuable
vegetable
volunteer
weather
Wednesday
whether
whose
woman
writing
written