Suffixes and word endings

-ful has a single l

The ending -ful always has one l, even though the word "full" on its own has two. It is a very common slip because the ending sounds exactly like the whole word.

care → careful (not "carefull"); beauty → beautiful (y → i first, and still one l); power → powerful (not "powerfull")

Y changed to I before a suffix

When a word ends in a consonant followed by y, the y changes to an i before most endings are added. Children who have learned the base word often keep its y, which is why the same mistake shows up across several words at once.

fancy → fanciful (y → i, then add -ful); mercy → merciful (y → i, then add -ful); pity → pitiful (y → i, then add -ful); happy → happiness (the same rule before -ness); busy → business (the same rule before -ness)

"-able" or "-ible"

"-able" and "-ible" sound exactly the same. "-able" is the far more common one and usually follows a whole word: "comfortable", "reasonable", "enjoyable". "-ible" usually follows a part-word that could not stand on its own: "possible", "terrible", "visible".

"-ance" or "-ence"

"-ance" and "-ence" sound the same. A word with "-ant" nearby takes "-ance": observant, "observance"; tolerant, "tolerance"; also "balance", "substance". A word with "-ent" nearby takes "-ence": innocent, "innocence"; confident, "confidence"; also "sentence", "silence".

"-ancy" or "-ency"

"-ancy" and "-ency" sound the same. A word with "-ant" nearby takes "-ancy": hesitant, "hesitancy"; expectant, "expectancy". A word with "-ent" nearby takes "-ency": decent, "decency"; frequent, "frequency"; urgent, "urgency".

"-ant" or "-ent"

The endings "-ant" and "-ent" both sound like "-unt", so the wrong one is easy to pick. Some words take "-ant" (as in "important", "pleasant"), not "-ent". Some words take "-ent" (as in "different", "independent"), not "-ant".

"-ary" or "-ery"

"-ary" and "-ery" both shrink to a faint "-uhry" when spoken, so the vowel is a guess. Some words take "-ary": "necessary", "library", "ordinary", "February". Some words take "-ery": "cemetery", "stationery", "machinery", "mystery".

"-ation" written as "-ashun"

Nouns made from verbs often end "-ation", even though it sounds like "-ayshun": "information", "preparation", "sensation", "admiration".

"-ation" written as "-asion"

The suffix is "-ation" with a "t": "information", "preparation", "sensation", "admiration". It is the same suffix every time.

The "e" kept before "-ation"

A verb that ends in "e" drops it before "-ation": adore, "adoration"; prepare, "preparation"; admire, "admiration".

"-cial" written as "-shal"

The "-shul" ending is spelt "-cial" here: "special", "official", "social", "artificial". It mostly follows a vowel.

"-cial" written as "-sial"

The "-shul" ending is spelt "-cial", with a "c": "special", "official", "social", "crucial".

"-cial" or "-tial"

"-cial" and "-tial" sound the same. "-cial" mostly follows a vowel: "special", "official", "social". (Exceptions: "financial", "commercial".) "-tial" mostly follows a consonant: "partial", "essential", "confidential", "substantial". (Exception: "initial".)

"-cian" written as "-shun"

The "-shun" sound at the end of these words is spelled "-cian", the ending English uses for people and their jobs: "musician", "magician", "electrician".

"-cious" written as "-shus"

The "-shus" ending is spelt "-cious" here: "vicious", "precious", "delicious", "suspicious". A root ending in "ce" usually takes "-cious" (malice, "malicious").

"-cious" written as "-sious"

The "-shus" ending is spelt "-cious", with a "c": "vicious", "precious", "delicious", "conscious".

"-cious" or "-tious"

"-cious" and "-tious" sound the same. A root ending in "ce" takes "-cious": space, "spacious"; grace, "gracious"; malice, "malicious". A root ending in "-tion" usually takes "-tious": ambition, "ambitious"; caution, "cautious"; infection, "infectious".

"-ed" written as "d" (as in "played")

After most sounds the "-ed" ending sounds like a plain /d/, so "played" is heard as "playd". The past-tense ending keeps both letters: "played", "rained", "called".

"-ed" written as "t" (as in "jumped")

After "p", "k", "s", "f", "sh" or "ch" the "-ed" ending sounds like /t/, so "jumped" is heard as "jumpt". It is still spelt "ed": "jumped", "looked", "wished".

The root word's "e" dropped before "-ment" (as in "statement")

"-ment" starts with a consonant, so it is added straight on and the root word keeps its "e": "state" + "ment" is "statement", "manage" + "ment" is "management".

The "e" left out of "-geous"

After a soft "g" the "e" stays before "-ous", to keep the /j/ sound: "courageous", "outrageous", "gorgeous".

"-ise" written as "-ize"

An "s" between vowels often sounds like a /z/, so "z" feels like the right letter to write. These words all keep the "s": "surprise", "praise", "noise", "wise".

The "n" left out before "-ment" (as in "government")

"government" is "govern" + "ment" and "environment" is "environ" + "ment". The "n" is hard to hear before the "m", but "-ment" is added to the whole root word, so it stays.

The "u" of "-our" kept before "-ous"

Words ending "-our" drop the "u" before "-ous": humour, "humorous"; glamour, "glamorous"; vigour, "vigorous".

"-ous" written as "-os"

The ending is "-ous", with "ou": "famous", "dangerous", "nervous", "poisonous".

"-ous" written as "-us"

The ending that sounds like "-us" on a describing word is spelt "-ous": "famous", "dangerous", "nervous", "poisonous".

"-sion" written as "-shun"

The "-shun" sound at the end of these words is spelled "-sion": "television", "decision", "confusion", "explosion".

"-sion" or "-tion"

The endings "-sion" and "-tion" make the same sound, so the wrong one is easy to pick. Some words take "-sion" (as in "television", "decision"), not "-tion". Some words take "-tion" (as in "station", "invention"), not "-sion".

"-sion" written as "-zhun"

The /zhun/ sound at the end of these words is spelt "-sion": "vision", "television", "fusion", "decision". It is spelt the way the word was built, not the way it sounds.

"-sion" written as "-zion"

The /zhun/ sound at the end of these words is spelt "-sion", with an "s", even though it sounds like a "z": "vision", "television", "decision", "explosion".

"-tal" written as "-tle"

The endings "-al" and "-le" sound the same at the end of a word, so either looks right. Some words take "-al": "hospital", "accidental", "capital".

"-tial" written as "-shal"

The "-shul" ending is spelt "-tial" here: "partial", "essential", "confidential", "initial".

"-tion" written as "-shun"

The "-shun" sound at the end of a word is most often spelled "-tion", even though nothing in it looks like "sh": "station", "question", "attention".

"-tious" written as "-shus"

The "-shus" ending is spelt "-tious" here: "ambitious", "cautious", "nutritious", "infectious".

Y1Adding -ing, -ed, -er and -est to a root word ending in two consonant letters

Examples: hunting, hunted, hunter, buzzer, jumping, jumped, jumper, quicker, quickest

Y2The /l/ or /əl/ sound spelt -le, -el, -al and -il at the end of words

Examples: table, apple, bottle, little, middle, camel, tunnel, travel, metal, pencil

Y2The suffixes -ment, -ness, -ful, -less and -ly

Examples: enjoyment, sadness, careful, hopeless, badly

Y3 / 4Adding suffixes beginning with vowel letters to words of more than one syllable

Examples: forgetting, beginning, gardening, limited, forgotten

Y3 / 4The suffix -ation

Examples: information, adoration, sensation, preparation, admiration

Y3 / 4The suffix -ly

Examples: sadly, gently, basically

Y3 / 4Words with endings sounding like /ʃən/, spelt -tion, -sion, -ssion and -cian

Examples: invention, expression, expansion, musician

Y3 / 4Endings which sound like /ʒən/

Examples: division, invasion, confusion, decision, collision, television

Y3 / 4The suffix -ous

Examples: poisonous, dangerous, famous, various

Y5 / 6Endings which sound like /ʃəs/ spelt -cious or -tious

Examples: vicious, precious, ambitious, delicious, cautious

Y5 / 6Endings which sound like /ʃəl/, spelt -cial and -tial

Examples: official, special, partial, essential, social

Y5 / 6Words ending in -ant, -ance/-ancy, -ent, -ence/-ency

Examples: observant, observance, innocent, innocence

Y5 / 6Words ending in -able and -ible, -ably and -ibly

Examples: adorable, applicable, considerable, tolerable, possible, horrible, terrible, visible, incredible, sensible

Dictation sentences

Read each one aloud and ask your child to write it down.

1. The kind nurse was careful with the injured puppy.
2. Her happiness was easy to see.
3. He was hopeless at hiding in the garden.

Quick check

Can they spell these without help?

• helpful
• sadness
• merriment
• playful

Keep going

• Year 1 spelling words - the statutory list with a free worksheet
• Year 2 spelling words - the statutory list with a free worksheet
• Year 3 and 4 spelling words - the statutory list with a free worksheet
• Year 5 and 6 spelling words - the statutory list with a free worksheet
• Printable spelling test sheet - for writing the words on paper
• Practise in Spelling.Live - add these words as a list, take a Skills Check, or play games built from them