Spellings

New work for Year 5

Statutory requirements

Rules and guidelines (non-statutory)

Example words (non-statutory)

Endings which are spelt – cious or -tious

Not many words end like this.

If the root word ends in –ce, it is usually spelt c – e.g. vice – vicious, grace – gracious, space –spacious, malice-malicious

Exception: anxious

Vicious, precious, conscious, delicious, malicious, suspicious, ambitious, cautious, fictious, infectious, nutritious.

Endings which are spelt –cial or -tial

-cial  is common after a vowel letter and –tial after a consonant letter, but there are some exceptions.

Exceptions: initial, financial, commercial, provincial (the spelling of the last three is clearly related to finance, commerce and province).

Official, special, artificial, partial, confidential, essential

Words ending in –able and –ible ( repeated in Yr 6)

The –able ending is far more common that the –ible ending.

As with –ant and –ance/-ancy, the –able ending is used if there is a related word ending in –ation.

If the –able ending is added to a word ending in –ce or –ge, the e after the c or g must be kept as those letters would otherwise have their ‘hard’ sounds (as in cap and gap) before the a of the –able ending.

The –able ending is usually but not always used if a complete root word can be heard before it, even if there is no related word ending in –ation.

The first five examples opposite are obvious; in reliable, the complete word rely is heard, but the y changes to i in accordance with the rule.

The –ible ending is common if a complete root word can’t be heard before it but it also sometimes occurs when a complete word can be heard (e.g. sensible).

Adorable (adoration), applicable (application), considerable (consideration), tolerable (toleration). Substance (substantial)

Changeable, noticeable, forcible, legible

Dependable, comfortable, understandable, reasonable, enjoyable, reliable

Possible, horrible, terrible, visible, incredible, sensible

Words spelt ei after c

The ‘i’ before e except after ‘c’ rule applies to words where the sound spelt by ei is /i:/

Exceptions; protein, caffeine, seize (and either and neither if pronounced with the initial ‘i’ sound)

Deceive, conceive, receive, perceive, ceiling

Words containing the letter –string ough (repeated in Yr 6)

Ough is one of the trickiest spellings in English – it can be used to spell a number of different sounds.

Ought, bought, thought, nought, brought, fought

Rough, tough, enough

Cough

Though, although, dough

Through

Thorough, borough

plough

Homophones and other words that are often confused (repeated in Yr 6)

In these pairs of words, nouns end –ce and verbs end –se. Advice and advise provide a useful clue as the word advise (verb) is pronounced with a /z/ sound – which could not be spelt c.

Aisle: a gangway between seats (in a church, plane)

Isle: an island

Aloud: out loud

Allowed: permitted

Affect: usually a verb (e.g. the weather may affect our plans)

Effect: usually a noun (e.g. It may have an effect on our plans). If a verb, it means ‘bring about’ (e.g. He will effect changes in the running of the business)

Altar: a table-like piece of furniture in a church.

Alter: to change

Ascent: the act of ascending (going up)

Assent: to agree/agreement (verb and noun)

Bridal: to do with a bride at a wedding

Bridle: reins etc. for controlling a horse

Cereal: made from grain (e.g. breakfast cereal)

Serial: adjective from the noun series – a succession of things one after the other

Compliment: to make nice remarks about someone (verb) or the remark that is made (noun)

Complement: related to the word complete – to make something complete or more complete (e.g. her scarf complemented her outfit)

Descent: the act of descending (going down)

Dissent: to disagree/disagreement (verb and noun)

Desert: as a noun – a barren place (stress on the first syllable); as a verb – to abandon (stress on the second syllable)

Dessert: (stress on the second syllable) a sweet course after the main meal

Disinterested: not having a personal stake in the matter (a World Cup referee must be disinterested – i.e. must not be from one of the countries played in the match)

Uninterested: not interested, bored ( a referee should be interested, not uninterested, in football)

Draft: noun – a first attempt at writing something; verb – to make the first attempt; also, to draw in someone (e.g. to draft in extra help) draught: a current of air

Advice/advise

Device/devise

Licence/license

Practice/practise

Prophecy/prophesy

Eligible: suitable to be chosen or elected

Illegible: not legible (i.e. Unreadable)

Eliminate: get rid/exclude

Illuminate: light up

Farther: further

Father: a male parent

Guessed: past tense of the verb guess

Guest: visitor

Heard: past tense of the verb hear

Herd: a group of animals

Led: past tense of the verb lead

Lead: present tense of that verb, or else the metal which is very heavy ( as heavy as lead)

Morning: before noon

Mourning: grieving for someone who has died

Past: noun or adjective referring to a previous time ( e.g. in the past) or preposition or adverb showing place (e.g. he walked past me)

Passed: past tense of the verb ‘pass’ (e.g. I passed him in the road)

Precede: go in front of or before

Proceed: go on

Principal: adjective – most important (e.g. principal ballerina)

Noun – important person (e.g. principal college)

Principle: basic truth or belief

Profit: money that is made in selling things

Prophet: someone who foretells the future

Stationary: not moving

Stationery: paper, envelopes, etc.

Steal: take something that does not belong to you

Steel: metal

Wary: cautious

Weary: tired

Who’s: contraction of who is or who has

Whose: belonging to someone (e.g. whose jacket is that?)

New work for Year 6

Statutory requirements

Rules and guidelines (non-statutory)

Example words (non-statutory)

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

Use –ant and –ance/ -ancy if there is a related word with that sound in the right position; -ation endings are often a clue.

Use –ent and –ence/-ency after a soft c (/s/ sound), soft /g/ sound in the right position.

There are many words, however, where the above guidelines don’t help.

These words just have to be learnt.

Observant, observance (observation), expectant (expectation), hesitant, hesitancy (hesitation), tolerant, tolerance (toleration), substance (substantial)

Innocent, innocence, decent, decency, frequent, frequency, confident, confidence (confidential)

Assistant, assistance, obedient, obedience, independent, independence

Words ending in –able and –ible (continue from Yr 5)

The –able ending is far more common that the –ible ending.

As with –ant and –ance/-ancy, the –able ending is used if there is a related word ending in –ation.

If the –able ending is added to a word ending in –ce or –ge, the e after the c or g must be kept as those letters would otherwise have their ‘hard’ sounds (as in cap and gap) before the a of the –able ending.

The –able ending is usually but not always used if a complete root word can be heard before it, even if there is no related word ending in –ation.

The first five examples opposite are obvious; in reliable, the complete word rely is heard, but the y changes to i in accordance with the rule.

The –ible ending is common if a complete root word can’t be heard before it but it also sometimes occurs when a complete word can be heard (e.g. sensible).

Adorable (adoration), applicable (application), considerable (consideration), tolerable (toleration). Substance (substantial)

Changeable, noticeable, forcible, legible

Dependable, comfortable, understandable, reasonable, enjoyable, reliable

Possible, horrible, terrible, visible, incredible, sensible

Adding suffixes beginning with vowel letters to words ending in –fer

The r is doubled if the –fer is still stressed when the ending is added.

The r is not doubled if the –fer is no longer stressed.

Referring, referred, referral, preferring, preferred, transferring, transferred

Reference, referee, preference, transference

Use of hyphen

Hyphens can be used to join a prefix to a root word, especially if the prefix ends in a vowel letter and the root word also begins with one.

Co-ordinate, re-enter, co-operate, co-own

Words containing the letter –string ough (continued from Yr 5)

Ough is one of the trickiest spellings in English – it can be used to spell a number of different sounds.

Ought, bought, thought, nought, brought, fought

Rough, tough, enough

Cough

Though, although, dough

Through

Thorough, borough

plough

Words with ‘silent’ letters (i.e. letters whose presence cannot be predicted from the pronunciation of the word)

Some letters which are no longer sounded used to be sounded hundreds of years ago: e.g. knight, there was a /k/ sound before the /n/, and the gh used to represent the sounds that ‘ch’ now represents in the Scottish word loch.

Doubt, island, lamb, solemn, thistle, knight

Homophones and other words that are often confused (continued from Year 5)

In these pairs of words, nouns end –ce and verbs end –se. Advice and advise provide a useful clue as the word advise (verb) is pronounced with a /z/ sound – which could not be spelt c.

Aisle: a gangway between seats (in a church, plane)

Isle: an island

Aloud: out loud

Allowed: permitted

Affect: usually a verb (e.g. the weather may affect our plans)

Effect: usually a noun (e.g. It may have an effect on our plans). If a verb, it means ‘bring about’ (e.g. He will effect changes in the running of the business)

Altar: a table-like piece of furniture in a church.

Alter: to change

Ascent: the act of ascending (going up)

Assent: to agree/agreement (verb and noun)

Bridal: to do with a bride at a wedding

Bridle: reins etc. for controlling a horse

Cereal: made from grain (e.g. breakfast cereal)

Serial: adjective from the noun series – a succession of things one after the other

Compliment: to make nice remarks about someone (verb) or the remark that is made (noun)

Complement: related to the word complete – to make something complete or more complete (e.g. her scarf complemented her outfit)

Descent: the act of descending (going down)

Dissent: to disagree/disagreement (verb and noun)

Desert: as a noun – a barren place (stress on the first syllable); as a verb – to abandon (stress on the second syllable)

Dessert: (stress on the second syllable) a sweet course after the main meal

Disinterested: not having a personal stake in the matter (a World Cup referee must be disinterested – i.e. must not be from one of the countries played in the match)

Uninterested: not interested, bored ( a referee should be interested, not uninterested, in football)

Draft: noun – a first attempt at writing something; verb – to make the first attempt; also, to draw in someone (e.g. to draft in extra help) draught: a current of air

Advice/advise

Device/devise

Licence/license

Practice/practise

Prophecy/prophesy

Eligible: suitable to be chosen or elected

Illegible: not legible (i.e. Unreadable)

Eliminate: get rid/exclude

Illuminate: light up

Farther: further

Father: a male parent

Guessed: past tense of the verb guess

Guest: visitor

Heard: past tense of the verb hear

Herd: a group of animals

Led: past tense of the verb lead

Lead: present tense of that verb, or else the metal which is very heavy ( as heavy as lead)

Morning: before noon

Mourning: grieving for someone who has died

Past: noun or adjective referring to a previous time ( e.g. in the past) or preposition or adverb showing place (e.g. he walked past me)

Passed: past tense of the verb ‘pass’ (e.g. I passed him in the road)

Precede: go in front of or before

Proceed: go on

Principal: adjective – most important (e.g. principal ballerina)

Noun – important person (e.g. principal college)

Principle: basic truth or belief

Profit: money that is made in selling things

Prophet: someone who foretells the future

Stationary: not moving

Stationery: paper, envelopes, etc.

Steal: take something that does not belong to you

Steel: metal

Wary: cautious

Weary: tired

Who’s: contraction of who is or who has

Whose: belonging to someone (e.g. whose jacket is that?)