Spelling Rules in English with Examples: Definition, Types, Common Errors & Practice Exercise

There are many exceptions when it comes to spellings in the English language. So to understand, these exceptions, know how to spell the words right following these exceptions and the spellings of words in general, in English language, we need to follow these rules. For example, understanding the difference between vowels (a, e, i, o, u,) and consonants is fundamental to spelling. Similarly, adding "-s" or "-es" to nouns make them plural.

This page will talk about these rules of spelling in depth, to clear out the nuances of spelling for students. Along with the rules and guidelines, there are practice questions in the end, which will make the students thorough in this topic.

According to Oxford Dictionary, “the process or activity of writing or naming the letters of a word. "The books and spelling in my class were too simple".

It is pronounced as /ˈspɛlɪŋ/

Also Read: English Conjunctions 

Spelling rules are a set of principles that determine the proper way to spell words in a language. English spelling can be complex due to borrowed words from different languages, hence these rules provide a framework for understanding how words are spelled.

Spelling rules not just help writers to consistently spell words correctly, but also make reading and understanding easier. Learning rules in spelling can help enhance literacy skills, as well as improving comprehension.

Also Read: Nouns in English Grammar

English spelling rules can be broadly categorized into several types. These are:

• Related to prefixes and suffixes, silent letters, doubling consonants
• Related to how to form plurals and verb inflections
• Related to word endings, sounds of similar letters
• Related to spelling comparatives and superlatives that are special forms of adjectives used to compare things

More detailed rules to follow in the next header in this page.

Also Read: Antonyms In English Language 

Following are the basic rules of spelling that you can count on, in order to avoid spelling mistakes in English language:

Rule 1

Prefix: In case there is a prefix, we do not normally add or take away more letters. For example, Don’t disobey (dis+obey=Disobey) rules; That was an insane (in+sane=Insane) stunt, etc.

Rule 2

First letter of a word is l, m, p, or r: In most cases, we change the prefix in- to il-, im- or ir- when the first letter of a word is l, m, p, or r. For example: These things seem illogical (in becomes il- before l) to me; Even the word impossible (in becomes im- before m or p) says I am possible; How can you be so irresponsible (in becomes ir- before r) ? 

Rule 3

Word ends with ‘ch’ or ‘s’: If the word ends with ‘ch’ or ‘s’, we add ‘es’ in the last to make it plural. For example, There are many school buses standing here (‘bus’ will be ‘buses’); This is a lane of churches (‘church’ will be ‘churches’); She crosses this road everyday (‘cross’ will be ‘crosses’) and The dog fetches the ball (‘fetch’ will be ‘fetches’).

Rule 4

Word ends in an ‘e’: If a word ends in an ‘e’, we add an ‘s’, to make it plural or for a tense change. For example, Don’t make such faces (‘face’ will be ‘faces’), etc.

Rule 5

Word ends in a consonant plus ‘y’: If the word ends in a consonant plus ‘y’, we change ‘y’ to ‘I’ and add ‘es’. For example, There are so many babies in this room (‘baby’ will be ‘babies’); Mark replies to Sam everyday (‘reply’ will be ‘replies’) etc. Similarly, we add ‘es’ to some words ending in ‘o’. For example, Buy those tomatoes (‘tomato’ will be ‘tomatoes’); There are many unsung heroes of our country (‘hero’ will be ‘heroes’). However, there are few words where we add ‘s’ when they end with ‘o’. for example,Click as many videos and photos you want (‘video’ will be ‘videos’, ‘photo’ will be ‘photos’), etc.  

Nouns ending in ‘f’ or ‘fe’: For some nouns ending in ‘f’ or ‘fe’, we change it to plural by changing the ‘f’ or ‘fe’ to ‘ves’. For example, So many leaves are falling off the tree (‘leaf’ will be ‘leaves’)

Rule 8

Word ending with b, d, g, l, m, n, p, r, t: We double the final consonant of a word ending with b, d, g, l, m, n, p, r, t, by adding a suffix beginning with a vowel like ed, er, est or ing. For example, This is redish in colour (‘red’ will be ‘redish’); where are you sitting (‘sit’ will be ‘sitting’); we hopped onto that bus (‘hop’ will be ‘hopped), etc.

Rule 9

Word ending in a stressed syllable: When we add a suffix to a word with more than one syllable, we double the consonant only when the word ends in a stressed syllable. For example, Why are you not admitting your mistake ? (‘admit’ will become ‘admitting’).  

Rule 10

Suffix beginning with a vowel: We often drop the ‘e’ in the last, when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added to a word. For example, I want this approval (‘approve’ will be ‘approval’); Here’s hoping all is good at your end (‘hope’ will be hoping); She has become famous (‘fame’ will be ‘famous’).

Rule 11

Adjectives ending in ‘ic’: The suffix ‘ally’ is added to adjectives ending in ‘ic’ to form adverbs. For example, Basically, everything is sorted. (‘basic’ will be ‘basically’); So many lost their lives tragically (‘tragic’ will be ‘tragically’) etc.

Rule 12

Word ending with the consonant ‘y’: When we add a suffix to a word ending with the consonant ‘y’, we normally change ‘y’ to ‘I’. For example, They lived happily ever after (‘happy’ will be ‘happily’); He replied to every question (‘reply’ will be ‘replied’), etc.

Rule 13

Rule for ie or ei: Confused between ie or ei? Here’s the rule. When the sound of the vowel is as in brief /i:/, we spell it ie; but after the letter c, we spell it ei. For example, Hope you achieve all your goals; It’s how you perceive things perceive.

Rule 14

Word ending with ‘e’: If the word ends with ‘e’, ‘d’ is added to the base form of verb. For example, She agreed on all points (‘agree’ will be ‘agreed’). We add ‘ed’ to the base form of the verb. For example, Have you cleaned this space (‘clean’ will be ‘cleaned’).

Rule 15

Adding ‘ing’: In case of adding ‘ing’, we drop ‘e’ for the words that end with ‘e’, before adding ‘ing’. For example, I will be writing this mail (‘write’ will be ‘writing’), Stop hating fruits (‘hate’ will be ‘hating’). If the word ends with the consonant ‘y’, we change the ‘y’ to ‘I’ before adding ‘ed’. For example, Have you applied for that job? (‘apply’ will be ‘applied’). But if the word ends in ‘ee’, ‘ye’, or ‘oe’, we keep the ‘e’, before adding ‘ing’. For example, I cannot be agreeing to all her points (‘agree’ will be ‘agreeing’).

Rule 16

Word ending in ‘ie’: If the word ends in ‘ie’, we change the ‘i’ to ‘y’ and we drop the ‘e’ before ‘ing’. For example, are you lying? (‘lie’ will be ‘lying’).

Rule 17

Silent ‘e’: We use a silent ‘e’ when the stressed vowel is long. For example, Students are going to the theme park; I hate standing in long queue; Take the last bite; etc.

Rule 18

Spellings in British and American English: Spellings in British and American English are different for the same word. A good learner’s dictionary can guide you in the area and let you know how to spell words correctly in both the English forms. Below are few examples of some words that are spelled differently in British and American English. For example, Don’t analyse (British) or analyze (American) things too much.

Some other examples are given below:

British English	American English
Colour	Color
Labour	Labor
Programme	Program

Also Read: Adverb in English Grammar

While above mentioned are the general rules of spelling, there are exceptions too. Students should be aware of these special cases in order to learn and write correct spellings. They are mentioned below. Read them carefully for better understanding.

Some words need only ‘s’ and not ‘es’ 

Some words ending with ‘o’ need only ‘s’ and not ‘es’ to be converted into plural form. For example, You have taken too many videos and photos.

Cases where consonants are not doubled

In words like visit or enter where the spoken stress is on the first syllable, we don’t double the consonant. For example; I am visiting the doctor (visit is visiting not visiting), similarly, They have entered the mall (enter is entered not entered).

We don’t double the final consonant before a suffix, in these two cases as well:

• If the word ends in two written consonants, for example, These good are exported abroad (export will be exported).
• If there are two written vowels together in the word, for example, They are meeting today; It rained heavily today; You have repeated your mistakes, etc

When to drop ‘e’

Sometimes we do drop the ‘e’, when we add a suffix beginning with a consonant. For example, This doesn’t call for an argument (argue becomes argument), This is truly incredible (true becomes truly), etc.

Keep the ‘y’ before a suffix

Some words with one syllable keep the ‘y’ before a suffix. For example, There is dryness on your skin.

When does ‘e’ comes before ‘i’

Words that do not have the pronunciation of ‘i’, the usual order is e before i, e.g. She is my neighbor; What’s your height?; You can call your friend; are common exceptions.

When to use silent ‘e’

We use a silent ‘e’ when the stressed vowel is long. However, there are few exceptions like Come home early; I have this fruit, She is gone; Have some biscuits; etc.

Also Read: English Verbs

English Spellings are little tricky to master by native speakers and new language learners alike. This is mainly because English has different ways to spell the same sound and different ways to pronounce the same spelling. However, with practice, patience and techniques mentioned below, students can ace the spellings in English language:

Use a good dictionary

An up-to-date dictionary can help you memorize words with difficult spellings. These days, apart from print, online dictionaries are also available. An English dictionary designed for English language learners, such as Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary English or Oxford’s Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, can be very helpful for non-native speakers.  

Be consistent

Whether its British or American, be consistent about the language. If not, it will lead to confusions, as there are many words that sound same but are spelled differently in both the versions of English language.

Keep a tab on suffixes

Some suffixes in the English language can be difficult to learn and adapt. So keeping a regular check on them and practicing is the key to ace it. Whether, students are writing, learning or proof reading, don’t forget to keep a check on these suffixes to be best spellers. For example, don’t get confused with suffixes ‘able’ or ‘ible’. For words like Responsible or Dependable that have same meaning and ending (ble), suffixes can be different. While ‘responsible’ will be ‘responsibly’ but ‘dependable’ will be ‘dependably’.

Make a list of ‘difficult to spell’ words

You are your own teacher. If you notice, there are certain words that you always find difficult to spell, make a list of them. Always keep the list handy, and whenever you find it confusing to write those words, check the spellings and then write. This will gradually help you eliminate the spelling errors.

Watch out for homophones

Many English words have identical or similar pronunciations but different spellings. Wrongly spelling these homophones is one of the most common spelling difficulties for all writers. For example, discreet and discrete; principle and principal; lose and loose, etc.

Also Read: Prepositions: Meaning and Practice Questions with Answers

Spelling rules are a set of guidelines that help you understand the spellings in the English language. They make it easy to form and memorize the spellings that are sometimes tricky and difficult to learn. While the spelling rules are set (we have also mentioned them in the page above), students can still identify them in sentences, by following the steps given below:

• Focus on recognizing patterns in how words are spelled, particularly when adding prefixes, suffixes, or forming plurals
• Look for consistent letter combinations, vowel sounds, and word structures that reveal underlying rules

Also Read: Paraphrasing: Examples and Exceptions