Spelling Rules
Rule 1C always softens to /s/ when followed by E, I, or Y. Otherwise - C says /k/
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Rule 2G may soften to /j/ only when followed by E, I, or Y. Otherwise - G says /g/
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Rule 3English words do not end in I, U, V, or J
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Rule 4A, E, O, U, usually say their names at the end of a syllable
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Rule 5I and Y may say short /i/ or long /i/ at the end of a syllable
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Rule 6When a one-syllable word ends in a single vowel Y, it says long /i/
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Rule 7Y says long /e/ ONLY at the end of a multisyllable base word. I says long /e/ at the end of a syllable that is followed by a vowel and at the end of foreign words
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Rule 8I and O may say long /i/ and long /o/ when followed by two consonants
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Rule 9AY usually spells the sound long /a/ at the end of a base word
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Rule 10When a word ends with the phonogram A, it says short /u/
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Rule 11Q always needs a U; therefore, U is not a vowel when next to a Q
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Rule 12Silent Final E Rules
The vowel says its name because of the E English words do not end in V or U The C says /s/ and the G says /j/ because of the E Every syllable must have a written vowel Add an E to keep singular words that end in the letter S from looking plural Add an E to make the word look bigger TH says its voiced sound /TH/ because of the E Add an E to clarify meaning Unseen reason |
Rule 13Drop the silent final E when adding a vowel suffix only if it is allowed by other spelling rules
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Rule 14Double the last consonant when adding a vowel suffix to words ending in ONE vowel followed by ONE consonant, only if the syllable before the suffix is accented (this is ALWAYS true for one-syllable words)
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Rule 15Single vowel Y changes to I when adding any ending, unless the ending begins with I
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Rule 16Two I's cannot be next to one another in English words
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Rule 17TI, CI, and SI are used only at the beginning of any syllable after the first one
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Rule 18SH spells /sh/ at the beginning of a base word and at the end of the syllable. SH never spells /sh/ at the beginning of any syllable after the first one, except for the ending -ship
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Rule 19To make a verb past tense, add the ending -ED unless it is an irregular verb
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Rule 20-ED, past tense ending, forms another syllable when the base word ends in /d/ or /t/. Otherwise, -ED says /d/ or /t/
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Rule 21To make a noun plural, add the ending -S unless the word hisses or changes, then add -ES. Some nouns have no change or an irregular spelling
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Rule 22To make a verb third person singular, add the ending -S, unless the word hisses or changes, then add -ES. Only four verbs are irregular
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Rule 23AL is a prefix written with one L when preceding another syllable
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Rule 24-ful is a suffix written with one L when added to another syllable
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Rule 25DGE is used only after a single vowel which says its short (first) sound
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Rule 26CK is used only after a single vowel which says its short (first) sound
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Rule 27TCH is used only after a single vowel which does NOT say its name
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Rule 28AUGH, EIGH, IGH, OUGH - phonograms ending in GH are used only at the end of a base word or before the letter T. The GH is either silent or pronounced /f/
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Rule 29Z, never S, spells /z/ at the beginning of a base word
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Rule 30We often double F, L, and S after a single vowel at the end of a base word. Occasionally other letters also are doubled
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Information regarding spelling rules obtained from: Uncovering the Logic of English, A Common Sense Approach to Reading, Spelling, and Literacy by Denise Eide - 2012