Four rules cover many of the words people misspell: "i" before "e" except after "c", changing a final "y" to "i", doubling the final consonant, and dropping a silent final "e". Each rule has a few exceptions that you simply have to learn.
There is no way around it: spelling is hard if you are not a natural speller. If you paid attention in school and studied for every spelling test, you may be a good speller. If that does not sound like you, chances are that you still struggle with spelling as an adult. That does not mean you can never learn to spell well; it just means you have to work at it a little harder.
Some people think spelling no longer matters because a spell checker is always at hand, but that is not true. When you know the rules, you make fewer mistakes in the first place, and you can tell whether a suggestion is right. Here are the 4 rules that help with the most spelling problems.
1. I before e, except after c
Whether to spell a word with ie or ei is one of the most confusing parts of English spelling, but it also has one of the best-known rules: i before e, except after c. That is the part most people know, but it is not the complete rule. The second part says or when it sounds like a.
- "i" before "e": believe, field, piece
- except after "c": receive, ceiling
- or when it sounds like "a": weigh, neighbor
Like most spelling rules, this one has exceptions, and the only way to get them right is to learn them by heart. The most common are neither, foreign, efficient, caffeine, ancient, height, and weird.
2. Changing a final y to i
When a word ends in a consonant followed by "y", change the "y" to "i" before you add a suffix, unless the suffix itself starts with "i".
- party + es = parties
- pity + ful = pitiful
- defy + ance = defiance
- copy + ing = copying (the suffix starts with "i", so the "y" stays)
- try + ing = trying
- occupy + ing = occupying
When a vowel comes before the "y", the "y" usually stays: play becomes played, and journey becomes journeys and journeying. A few common words break the rule: day becomes daily, pay becomes paid, and say becomes said. In memorize, from memory, the "y" is dropped altogether.
3. When to double the final consonant
This rule can be confusing too, because two conditions must be met. Double the final consonant before a suffix that starts with a vowel (such as -ing, -ed, -er, or -ence) when:
- the word has one syllable, or the stress falls on its last syllable, and
- the word ends in a single consonant with a single vowel before it.
Examples:
- stop + ing = stopping (one syllable)
- admit + ed = admitted (the stress is on -mit)
- occur + ence = occurrence (the stress is on -cur)
- benefit + ed = benefited (the stress is on ben-, so there is no doubling)
- delight + ful = delightful (the suffix starts with a consonant, so there is no doubling)
The rule has few exceptions, but they exist. Words that end in "w", "x", or "y" never double the last letter: show becomes showing, and fix becomes fixing. And British English usually doubles a final "l" even when the last syllable is not stressed: travelled and cancelled, where American English writes traveled and canceled. British or American English? has more of these differences.
4. When to drop the final e
Drop a silent final "e" before a suffix that starts with a vowel, but keep it before a suffix that starts with a consonant.
- ride + ing = riding
- guide + ance = guidance
- like + ness = likeness
- arrange + ment = arrangement
- entire + ly = entirely
There are only a few common exceptions. Noticeable keeps its "e" before a vowel, so that the "c" still sounds like "s". Truly and argument drop it before a consonant.
Rules and exceptions
These 4 rules will not make you a perfect speller overnight, but they settle a large number of everyday words. Learn the exceptions one at a time, and for more ways to practice, read 3 spelling tips that actually help you spell better and the list of words most commonly misspelled in English. When you are not sure about a word, the Spell Checker checks your text against its dictionaries and marks the words it does not know.