Spelling - Four Basic Spelling Rules
Rule 1: I before E
"i" before "e": (field, yield, believe, niece)
except after "c" (deceive, conceive)
or when sounded like "ay"
as in neighbor and weigh (eight, freight)
Exceptions: seize, either, weird, foreign, effcient, their
Rule 2: Words Ending in "Y"
If a word ends with a "y" preceded by a consonant (heavy), then change the "y" to an "i" before every suffix except "ing."
carry + ed = carried
heavy + er = heavier
try + ing = trying
fly + ing = flying
fly + es = flies
Rule 3: Doubling Final Consonants
If the word ends in one consonant preceeded by one vowel (beg) and
If the word is either one syllable (beg) or the accent ends on last syllable
(refer) and
If the suffix begins with a vowel (ing) then
Double the final consonant (beg=begging, rot=rotting, refer=referring)
Rule 4: Dropping Final "E"s
If a word ends with a silent final "e" (bite, desire)
Drop the "e" if the suffix starts with a vowel (able, ing)
Keep the "e" if the suffix starts with a consonant (ty, full, less)
use + able = usable
use + full = usefull
sale + able = salable
Some Words that Are Spelled Alike