i before e except after c

Most people know the spelling rule about i before e except after c, as in the following words:
-ie- -ei-
ceiling
belief conceit
believe deceit
chief deceive
piece perceive
achieve receipt
yield receive

-ei- (not pronounced ee)

beige
feign
foreign
forfeit
height
neighbour
vein

Some adjectives change their spelling when forming the comparative and superlative:
Some one-syllable adjectives that end with a single consonant (e.g. big, wet, sad, fat) double this
consonant before adding -er or -est:
big bigger biggest
wet wetter wettest
sad sadder saddest

In English spelling, the E at the end of a word is silent. Its purpose is to show that the
preceeding vowel is LONG rather than short. If you like, you can think of the E as a
message explaining how the previous vowel should sound. Here are some examples:

Short Vowels Long Vowels

hat hate
pip pipe
hop hope
tub tube
Words ending in –ance and –ence
These two endings are both used to make nouns from verbs (e.g. performance from perform) or
nouns from adjectives (e.g. intelligence from intelligent).
In general, you'll need to remember how to spell these words (or else check their spelling in a
dictionary). Here are some tips to help you remember:

Words ending in -ance

• If the word is formed from a verb that ends in -y, -ure, or -ear, then the ending will be
spelled -ance. For example: alliance (from ally), endurance (from endure), or appearance
(from appear)
• If the main part of the word (i.e. the bit before the ending) ends in a ‘hard’ c (pronounced
like the c in cab) or a ‘hard’ g (pronounced like the g in game), then the ending will be
spelled -ance. For example: elegance or significance.
• If the noun is related to a verb ending in -ate, then the ending is likely to be -ance, e.g.
tolerance (from tolerate)
Here are some common nouns ending in -ance:
clearance; guidance; acceptance; relevance; ignorance; importance; resemblance; instance;
allowance; insurance; distance; substance; maintenance; appliance; disturbance; assistance;
nuisance; balance; fragrance; circumstance; grievance; dominance; attendance.

Words ending in -ence

• If the word is formed from a verb ending in -ere, then the ending will be spelled -ence. For
example: reverence (from revere), adherence (from adhere), or coherence (from cohere).
Note that the word perseverance is an exception to this rule!
• If the main part of the word ends in a soft c (pronounced like the c in cell) or a soft g
(pronounced like the g in gin), then the ending will be -ence. For example: adolescence or
emergence.
Note that the word vengeance is an exception to this rule!
Here are some common nouns ending in -ence:
consequence; absence; convenience; preference; influence; presence; innocence; difference;
recurrence; audience; reference; essence; evidence; affluence; insistence; sentence; coincidence;
sequence; existence; silence; conference; experience; patience; confidence.

Words ending in -able or –ible

These endings are found in adjectives that usually mean ‘able to be …’. For example:
available: able to be used or obtained
audible: able to be heard
breakable: able to be broken
visible: able to be seen
Words ending in -able
As a general rule, there are lots more adjectives ending in -able, but here are some tips to help you
make the right choice:
• When a word ends in -able, the main part of the word (i.e. the bit that comes before the -
able ending) is usually a complete word in itself. For example: bearable (from bear),
readable, (from read), and acceptable (from accept). This is also true when the base word
ends in an e that's dropped before the -able ending is added (e.g. advise; advisable or inflate;
inflatable) or where it ends in a consonant that's doubled when the ending is added (e.g.
forget; forgettable or regret; regrettable).
• If the main part of the word ends with a ‘hard’ c (pronounced like the c in cab) or a ‘hard’ g
(pronounced like the g in game) then the ending is always -able. For example, navigable or
amicable.
Here are some common words that end in -able:
likeable; peaceable; debatable; pleasurable; adaptable; inimitable; capable; adorable; desirable;
justifiable; preferable; disposable; knowledgeable; amiable; durable; laughable; fashionable;
reliable; excitable; lovable; believable; excusable; manageable; serviceable; measurable; sizeable;
noticeable; suitable; changeable; tolerable; objectionable; comfortable; payable; impressionable;
conceivable; operable; transferable.

Words ending in -ible

• When a word ends in -ible, it's less likely that the part before the ending will be a
recognizable English word. Take permissible or audible, for example: ‘permiss’ and ‘aud’
are not English words.
• This is only a guideline and there are exceptions to the general principle. For example,
accessible and collapsible both end in -ible even though they are formed from the
recognizable words access and collapse.
Here are some common words ending in -ible:
illegible; responsible; eligible; incredible; reversible; invincible; suggestible; contemptible; feasible;
negligible; susceptible; convertible; flexible; ostensible; tangible; gullible; terrible; horrible;
plausible.

28 Rules For English Spelling

1. The letter q is always written with u and we say, "kw." The letter u is not a vowel here.
(quiet)
2. /c/ before e, i, or y says, "s" (cent, city, cycle).
3. /g/ before e, i, or y may say, "j" (gentle, get).
4. Vowels a, e, o, u usually say, " ", " ", " ", " " at the end of a syllable (belong, protect,
futile)
5. Vowels i and y may say " " at the end of a syllable, but usually say " " (final and my as
opposed to Indian and baby) [for spelling]
6. Vowel y, not i, is used at the end of an English word (for example, my).
7. There are five kinds of silent final e's. The first rule (as in time) is one of the three ways a
vowel says its name.
8. o-r may say, "er" when w comes before the o-r (for example, works).
9. We use e-i after c... if we say, " "... and in some exceptions.
 Exceptions:
receive, vein, neither, foreign, sovereign, seize, counterfeit, forfeit, leisure, either, weird,
heifer, protein, geiger, height, sleight, feisty, stein, seismograph, poltergeist, kaleidoscope

10.s-h is used at the beginning of a word, at the end of a syllable but not at the beginning of any
syllable after the first one, except for the ending, "ship." (shut, fish, nation)
11.t-i, s-i and c-i are used to say "sh" at the beginning of any syllable after the first one. c-h
says, "sh" in a word of French origin. (nation, session, special, chic)
12.s-i is used to say, "sh" when the syllable before it ends in s (session) and when the base word
has an s where the word changes. (tense/tension)
13.Only s-i can say, "zh" except for t-i in "equation." (vision)
14.When a one-syllable word ends with one short vowel and one consonant, double the final
consonant before adding a vowel suffix. (hop, hopping/hopped)
15.When a two-syllable word ends with a vowel and a consonant, double the final consonant
when adding a vowel suffix, if the accent is on the last syllable. (admit, admitted, admitting)
16.Silent final e words are written without the e when adding an ending beginning with a
vowel. (have, having)
17.We often double l, f, s, after a single vowel, at the end of a one-syllable word. (full, puff,
pass)
18.Base words do not end with the letter a saying, " " except for the article a; a-y is used most
often. (may, pay, say)
19.Vowels i and o may say, " " and " " when followed by two consonants. (find, bold - gift,
bond)
20.s never follows x. (box, boxes)
21.All is written with one l when added to another syllable.(almost, also)
22.Till and full added to another syllable are written with one l. (until, fulfill)
23.3-letter "j" (dge) may be used after a single vowel which says, " " - " " - " " - " " - " "
(badge,edge,ridge,lodge,fudge)
24.When adding an ending to a word that ends with y, that has a sound alone, change the y to i
unless the ending is i-n-g. (fry,fried - cry,crying)
25.2-letter "k" (ck) may be used only after a single vowel which says, " " - " " - " " - " " - " "
(pack,peck,pick,pock,puck)
26.The letter z, never s is used to say, "z" at the beginning of a base word. (zero, zipper)
27.The letters e-d say, "d" and "t" as the past tense ending of any base word which does not end
in the sound, "d" or "t." When e-d says "ed" after words ending with "d" or "t," they form
another syllable. (loved, wrapped) (word,word ed-part,parted)
28.Double consonants within words of more than one syllable should both be sounded for
spelling. (lit tle, but ton)