Spelling Rules

1.  i before e
Except after c
Or when sounding like ay
As in neighbor or weigh
Exception: neither, leisured, foreigner, seized, weird, heights

2. If a word ends in y preceded by a vowel, keep the y to when adding a suffix.
Examples: day, days; attorney, attorneys.

3. If a word ends in y preceded by a consonant, change the y to i before adding a suffix.
Examples: try, tries, tried; lady, ladies.
Exception: To avoid double i, retain the y before –ing and –ish. For example, fly, flying; baby, babyish.

4. Silent e at the end of a word is usually dropped before a suffix beginning with a vowel.
Examples: dine + ing = dining locate + ion = location use + able = usable offense + ive = offensive
Exception: Words ending in ce and ge retain e before –able and –ous in order to retain the soft sounds of c and g. For example, peace + able = peaceable; courage
+ ous = courageous.

5. Silent e usually kept before a suffix beginning with a consonant.
Examples: care + less = careless late + ly = lately one + ness = oneness game + ster = gamester

6. Some exceptions must simply be memorized. Some exceptions to the last two rules are: truly, duly, awful, argument, wholly, ninth, mileage, dyeing, acreage, canoeing.

7. A one-syllable word that ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel doubles the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel or y.
Examples: hit, hitting; drop, dropped; big, biggest; mud, muddy
But: help, helping because help ends in two consonants; need, needing because the final consonant is preceded by two vowels.

8. A word with more than one syllable that accents the last syllable and ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel doubles the final consonant when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel.
Examples: begin, beginner; admit, admitted.
But: enter, entered because the accent is not on the last syllable.

9. A word ending in er or ur doubles the r in the past tense if the word is accented on the last syllable.
Examples: occur, occurred; prefer, preferred; transfer, transferred.

10. A word ending in er does not double the r in the past tense if the accent does not fall on the last syllable.
Examples: answer, answered; offer, offered; differ, differed.
11. When –full is added to the end of a noun to form an adjective, the final l is dropped.
Examples: cheerful, cupful, hopeful.
12. All words beginning with over are one work.
Examples: overcast, overcharge, overhear.
13. All words with the prefix self are hyphenated.
Examples: self-control, self-defense, self-evident.
14. The letter q is always followed by u.
Examples: quiz, bouquet, acquire.
15. Numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are hyphenated.
16. Per cent is never hyphenated. It may be written as one word (percent) or as two words (per cent).
17. Welcome is one word with one l.
18. All right is always two words. There is no such word as alright.
19. Already means “prior to some specific time.” All ready means “ completely ready.”
Example: By the time I was all ready to go to the play, the bus had already left.
20. Altogether means “entirely.”
All together means “in sum or collectively.”
Example: There are altogether too many people to seat in this room when we are all together.
21. Their is the possessive of they.
There is the contraction for they are.
There is “that place.”
Example: they’re going to put their books over there.
22. Your is the possessive of you.
You’re is the contraction for you are.
Example: You’re certainly planning to leave your muddy boots outside.
23. Whose is the possessive of who.
Who’s is the contraction for who is.
Example: Do you know who’s ringing the doorbell or whose car is in the street?

24. Its is the possessive of it.
It’s is the contraction for it is.
Example: It’s I who put its stamp on the letter.

Improving Your Spelling Through Your Own Personal Program
Think of your own private “demons,” the words that you must look up every time you write a note or letter, and the words that gave you trouble all through school. Everyone has such words. Make a list of these words, correctly spelled. Add to the list words that you often look up, words of which you are just not sure. Keep adding to this list right up to exam day. Each day that you have a bit of study time, type through the list three times. By typing your troublesome words correctly, your hands and fingers will get used to the “feel” of the correct spelling, and your eye will become accustomed to seeing the words correctly spelled. Frequent repetition will embed the correct spelling in your mind.