Spelling Words

These are not your Vocabulary words.  These words are tested every other week and you only need to know how to spell them.

Our spelling words this year represent some of the most commonly misspelled words.

Four Basic Rules for Spelling:

1) Words containing ie or ei

I before e, except after c, or when sounding like a, as in neighbor and 

weigh. Exceptions include ceiling, neither, weird, and either.

piece, deceive

2) Silent or final e

If a word ends with a silent e, drop the e before adding a suffix that begins 

with a vowel. Exceptions include truly, ninth, and argument.

bore/boring. love/loving. skate/skating

Do not drop the silent e before adding a suffix that begins with a 

consonant.

bore/boredom. hate/hateful. skate/skateboard

3) Final y

If a word ends in a consonant followed by a y, change the y to i before

adding a suffix. Exception... crying.

cry/cried. friendly/friendliness. gloomy/gloominess

If a word ends in y with a vowel before it, do not change the y to i before

adding suffixes or other endings.

destroy/destroyed. play/playing. volley/volleys

4) Consonant preceded by a vowel

If a one-syllable word ends with one consonant with a vowel before it,

double the final consonant before adding a suffix.

can/canned. nut/nutty. pot/pottery

Unit 1 words: 5/3

achieve 

believe

ceiling

conscious

height

disappear

environment

government

neighbor

occurred

Unit 2 words: 5/17

appearance 

basically

beginning

coming

definitely

embarrass

irresistible

piece

separate

tomorrow

Unit 3 words: 5/30

argument

across

business

congratulations

disappoint

finally

freight

guard

humorous

necessary

Unit 4 words: 

accommodate

completely

curious

existence

noticeable

occasion

remember

surprise

unfortunately

weird

Unit 5 words: 

apparently

bizarre

cemetery

committee

familiar

happened

immediately

lollipop

persistent

successful

Unit 6 words: 

aggressive

calendar

foreign

friend

independent

knowledge

politician

preferred

received

tendency