Spellings Examples with Rules

Understanding Spelling Rules with Examples

Spellings MCQs assess your ability to identify the correct spelling of a word among a list of options. These questions test your spelling accuracy, vocabulary, and attention to detail. Although, they are pretty easy to figure out with regular practice and good language proficiency

Follow these rules to solve questions based on spellings.

1. Don't Spell Words the Way they are Pronounced

The most important aspect of spelling is that a lot of the spellings aren't spelled as they are spoken. There is a huge difference between the written spelling and pronunciation of a lot of English words. So, we shouldn't always spell the words as we speak them. Sometimes we drop letters while we speak or change the vowel sounds.

For Example:

• We drop the 'd' sound in 'handkerchief' and pronounce it as (han-ker-chief).
• 'Colonel' has an 'o' but it is pronounced as (kernel).
• 'Yacht' has an 'a' but is pronounced as (yot).

2. Watch Out for Prefixes, Suffixes, and More

Some verbs, adjectives, and nouns have confusing spellings. Although, they can be easily learned by understanding and applying some rules about the change in spellings while adding prefixes and suffixes, forming plurals, doubling letters along with dropping and adding letters.

Learn more spelling rules with examples in this table:

S. No	Rule	Explanation	Example
1	Using Prefix	When we add a prefix to give an existing word a new meaning, we do not normally add or take away letters.	super + human → superhuman dis + satisfied → dissatisfied in + sane → insane un + sure → unsure il+literate -> illiterate Im + mature -> immature ir + replaceable -> irreplaceable e+business -> e-business e+commerce -> e-commerce e+book-> ebook e+mail-> email
2	Using Suffix	A suffix is added to the end of a word to make a new word. The new word is often a different word category than the original word e.g. adjective to nounIt sometimes changes the resultant spelling as we remove the last letter.	forget + ful → forgetful create + ion → creation able + -ity → ability possible + -ity → possibility
3	Making Plurals	To make plurals, we generally add ‘-s’,‘-es’ or ‘-ies’.	face → facessmile → smiles bus → busescross → crosses baby → babiesreply → replies
4	Doubling letters	Double the final consonant of a word (b, d, g, l, m, n, p, r, t) when using a suffix beginning with a vowel (-ed, -er, -est, -ing)	hop + -ed → hopped slim + -ing → slimming red + -ish → reddish rub + -ed → rubbed travel+ -er → traveller
5	Dropping letters	Drop the final ‘e’ when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel. However, keep the -e to differentiate them from similar words	approve + -al → approval hope + -ing → hoping fame + -ous → famous invite + -ation → invitation Die+ing → dying Dye+ing → dyeing
6	Adding letters	For adjectives ending in –ic, add the suffix -ally to form adverbs. Although, there will be few exceptions.	basic → basically realistic → realistically public → publicly
7	Changing Verb forms	Add -ed to the base form of the verb to change its form. If the word ends in -e, add only -d to the base form of the verb. If the word ends with a consonant+ -y, then change the -y to ‘i’ and add -ed. There are some common exceptions. For some words, -y is changed to ‘i' after a vowel, and just -d is added. The general rule here is to add -ing to the base form of the verb.	clean → cleaned echo → echoed email → emailed sail → sailed agree → agreed dine → dined love → loved apply → applied cry → cried pay → paid say → said go → going hurry → hurrying play → playing

3. Beware of 'ie' or 'ei' Silent Letters

The confusion of 'ie' or 'ei' has long troubled students with spelling based questions. One can use a simple thumb rule to learn and understand the usage of 'ie' or 'ei' without making a mistake.

Remember:'i' before an 'e' except when there's a 'c'! Let's make it more clear.

• We use 'ie' in spelling when there is a long vowel sound /i:/.
       For Example: brief, achieve, belief, diesel, niece, relieve.
• We use 'ei' in words that have the letter 'c'. We add 'ei' after c in such cases.
       For Example: ceiling, conceit, deceive, receipt, perceive, etc.
• Words that do not have the long vowel /i:/ (like in the case of brief), follow the usual order, that is, 'e' before 'i'.
       For Example: neighbour, leisure, height.

There are certain exceptions to the above rules. The words friend, ancient, and science are common deviants from this rule.

4. The Case of Silent Letters

Silent letters can be a deal breaker in many spelling questions. A lot of words in English use a silent letter that isn't pronounced while speaking but is used in the spelling.

Don't pronounce the silent letters while speaking, but be mindful of including them in spellings. Be careful as such spellings as they are often tested in the spelling section.

For Example:

• Silent B - debt, doubt, dumb
• Silent C - muscle, disciple, descend
• Silent G - design, foreign
• Silent P – psychology, receipt

Tips and Tricks to Solve Spellings Questions

Spellings questions can be easily solved by learning few tips and tricks for spellings. These tips and tricks are very useful in finding the correct answer quickly and effectively, saving a lot of time.

Follow these tips and tricks while solving spellings questions:

1. Sounds are Important

Listen to the sounds in a word carefully and try matching them with letters accordingly. Mostly, correct pronunciation leads to correct spelling.

2. Break It Down

Break down complex or lengthy words into smaller syllables. Try to spell each chunk accurately, then bring them together.

3. Memorize Difficult Words

Draw up flashcards for challenging words. Say the word repeatedly, spell it loudly, and visualize the correct spelling to retain better.

4. Study Patterns

Study common patterns like silent letters, double letters, and vowel combinations to spell words correctly. Observe more words following such patterns.

5. Read as much as Possible

Read books, articles, and newspapers actively and observe the spellings of different words deeply. Profound reading habits provide exposure to a higher more correctly spelled words.