Spelling Rules

The English language has a small number of rules that underpin how words are spelt, here are a few of them.

1. Q" is always followed by "U." quiet, quite, question, quality, quantity, queue quotient, quotation Exception: Iraqi

2. "J" and "V" are followed by a vowel.

Page ("g" is sounded as "J"),

Edge ("g" is sounded as "J"),

Forage ("g" is sounded as J), receive, give, love, stove, dove

3. The consonants "B, C, D, F, G, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, and Z" are doubled in the middle and at the end of words. Robber, accident, added, suffer, ragged, syllable, accommodate, runner, appointment, error, possible, admitted, buzz

4. The consonants "H, J, K, Q, V, W, and X" are not doubled. Mahout, project, pocket, liquid, avoid, showed, laxity, improve, Exceptions: withhold, bookkeeping, savvy, heartthrob

5. "A, I" and "U" do not come at the end of words. Pay, tie, due

Exception: banana

6. "Content words" (describing things and actions) have at least three letters. Buy, bee, inn, nod, bid, lid, kid

7. Extra letters are not found in "Non- content" words with similar sounds.by, be, in

8. "I comes before "E, except after "C brief, chief, field, niece, siege, thief, ceiling

Exceptions: caffeine, surfeit, their, receive, deceit

9. The vowels (A, E, I, 0, U) have a "short" sound when they appear in short words.cat, rat, hat, men, pen, den, ten, bit, hit, sit, dot, lot, got, but, nut, hut

10. When "E" is added to the end, the first vowel gives a long sound. Date, rate, hate, scene, swede, theme, bite, mite, like note, lone, mole, flute, rule, brute, route