Spelling Rules

I Before E Except After C

An important rule of spelling is to use i before e except after c. In general, when there’s an ie letter combination after any letter other than c, the i will come first. Usually, the combination is pronounced with a long e sound (as in the word feet). Look at these examples:

belief
brief
piece
niece
chief
thief

After the letter c, however, the i and e are usually reversed to spell ei. This letter combination also makes a long e sound. Here are some common examples:

deceive
receipt
conceited
ceiling

There are exceptions to the rule i before e except after c. Do not apply the rule when the vowel sound in the word is a long a, as in weigh. In these instances, e comes before i. Look at these examples:

freight
reign
vein
neighbor

Here are some other cases in which e comes before i:

words in which ei is pronounced like a schwa (a weak uh sound), as in the word forfeit
words in which ei is pronounced like a long i, such as height or feisty (exceptions include the word lie)
words in which ei is followed by an r and makes a long e sound, as in weird (exceptions include the word pierce)

Drop a Final E When Adding an Ending

Another common spelling rule involves words with a final e, such as the word race. When adding an ending that begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), such as -ed, -ing, or -ible, we generally drop the final e. Here are two examples:

dance + ing = dancing
fortune + ate = fortunate

Now, let’s look at the exceptions to the rule about dropping the final e.

When an ending that begins with a consonant, such as -ness, is added to a word, keep the final e.

same + ness = sameness

In words such as courage and notice, keep the final e because the final consonant sound would change without it.

courage + ous = courageous

notice + able = noticeable

Changing y to i

Another spelling rule involves words that end with a y, such as the word busy. When adding an ending that starts with a consonant, such as -ful, change the y to an i. Look at these examples:

beauty + ful = beautiful
happy + ly = happily

In some cases, the y also changes to an i when adding the endings -es or -ed. Here are instances when this rule applies:

when using the third person singular of a verb ending in y (try + es = tries; cry + es = cries)
when using a plural noun ending in y (theory + es = theories; query + es = queries)
when using the simple past tense of a verb ending in y (try + ed = tried; hurry + ed = hurried)

There is an exception to the rule of changing a final y to an i. Do not apply the rule if adding an ending that begins with an i, such as -ing. In these instances, keep the final y. Here are two examples:

try + ing = trying
study + ing = studying

Doubling the Final Consonant

A spelling rule exists for words that end in a single vowel and a single consonant, such as the word snap. When adding an ending that starts with a vowel, such as -ed or -ing, double the final consonant. Look at these examples:

nap + ing = napping
hop + ed = hopped

This rule also applies to words that end in a single vowel and a single consonant and contain more than one syllable, such as the word prefer. Here are some examples:

oc-cur + ence = occurrence
pre-fer + ed = preferred
ex-cel + ent = excellent

Some exceptions exist for the final double consonant rule. The rule does not apply to words with multiple syllables when the accent is before the last syllable. Look at these examples:

‘ben-e-fit + ed = benefited
de-‘vel-op + ed = developed

The rule of doubling the final consonant also does not apply in these cases:

words that end in vowels (ride + ing = riding)
words that have more than one vowel before the final consonant (stoop + ing = stooping)
words ending in more than one consonant (work + ing = working)

Common Spelling Mistakes

In addition to understanding spelling rules, it helps to know tricky words and common spelling pitfalls that you might encounter.

One of the most common spelling errors arises when using homophones. Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings and often different spellings. Homophones are especially tricky because spell checkers often do not identify them as errors. Here are some common homophones:

there, they're, their
to, two, too
your, you're
its, it's
where, were
lose, loose
accept, except
affect, effect
principal, principle
peak, peek, pique