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Spelling Rules
The 21 rules that explain most of English spelling — each one in plain language, with worked examples and, just as importantly, the exceptions. Free, no sign-up, works on school Chromebooks.
Pick a rule
I before E, except after CThe famous one - and the one to trust least.Grades 3-8Silent E makes the vowel say its namehop → hope, kit → kite, cub → cube.Grades 1-4Drop the E before a vowel suffixhope + ing = hoping, but hope + ful = hopeful.Grades 2-6The doubling rule (1-1-1)hop → hopping, but visit → visiting.Grades 2-7Change Y to Ihappy → happier, carry → carried — but carrying.Grades 2-6Making pluralscats, buses, boxes, babies, leaves.Grades 1-5Soft C and soft Gc and g go soft before e, i and y.Grades 1-5The FLOSS rule: double F, L, S and Zcliff, ball, glass, buzz.Grades 1-3When to use CK, K or Cback, bank, picnic.Grades 1-4The suffix -ful has one Lcareful, helpful, beautiful.Grades 2-5Q is always followed by Uqueen, quick, quiet.Grades 1-3English words don't end in V or Jhave, give, love - always an E on the end.Grades 1-4-tion, -sion or -cian?action, tension, musician.Grades 4-8Prefixes never change the root wordmis + spell = misspell (two s's).Grades 3-7Silent lettersknee, write, gnaw, thumb, island.Grades 2-8Greek spellings: ph, ch, rh, ps and mnphotograph, chorus, rhythm, psychology.Grades 6-12The schwa: when a vowel goes lazysep-a-rate, def-i-nite, gram-mar - all the same dull sound.Grades 5-12-cede, -ceed or -sede?One word, three words, and everything else.Grades 7-12Why accommodate has two C's and two M'sLatin prefixes reshape themselves - and leave double letters.Grades 9-12Ask where the word came fromThe single most useful question at a spelling bee.Grades 9-12 - spelling bee-able or -ible?comfortable, but visible.Grades 5-10
How to use these
A spelling rule is only useful if a student also knows when it fails. Every page here states the rule, shows it working on real words, and then lists the exceptions — because the words that break a rule are usually the ones people misspell. Start with Silent E and the doubling rule — between them they account for a large share of everyday spelling mistakes.