How To Learn the Basic Spelling Rules Of English

Double the final consonant before adding an ending if the root word is:

• One syllable long and ends in a consonant preceded by a vowel;

*Or stressed on the last syllable

Don’t double the final consonant if
the root word is:

*One syllable long and ends in either two vowels followed by a consonant, or two consonants.

*Stress is on the first syllable.

Drop the “e” at the end of a word if you’re adding an ending that begins with a vowel. If the ending starts with a consonant, keep the “e.”

If you’re adding an ending to a word that ends in “y”, only change the “y” to “i” if a consonant comes before the “y.”

To make words plural, add “-es” to words ending in “ss” “sh” “ch” and “x.” Otherwise, just add an “s.”

If the word ends in a consonant and then a “y”, change the “y” to “I” before adding an “es.”

Spell a word that ends with the sound “-ick” with an i-c-k if it’s one syllable, and with i-c if it’s two syllables. The exception is compound words – a word made by joining two words. They always end in i-c-k.