Second Form

Spelling Patterns

Name: ...................................

Form: ..........

Introduction
Welcome to the Second Form Spelling Patterns booklet.
The twenty spelling patterns in this booklet are drawn from the Key Stage 3 National
Strategy for teaching English. For each pattern, there is an Explanation of the rule or
convention followed by Examples of words to learn. Additional commonly misspelled
words are listed under Extras. At the bottom of each page, there are references to
Wordshark, for further practice. Wordshark is a games based software programme by a
company called Whitespace Ltd. You can access it on the KCS intranet via the remote link,
or it can be purchased in CD form on Amazon. In most cases it is preferable to select the
extended list of spellings from Wordshark.
To get the most out of this booklet, you need to know a few rules. The five vowels can be
pronounced in two ways - a short vowel such as a as in apple, e as in egg, i as in ink, o as in
octopus, u as in umbrella and a long vowel where A, E, I, O, U sound the same as the
names of the letters.
A number of spelling patterns are based on letters at the beginning and / or end of a word.
A prefix such as il- placed in front of legible makes illegible. Adding a suffix such as ful to the end of a word like joy changes the meaning of the original word.
People learn to spell in different ways. Some try to remember the look of a word. Others
learn by sounding out and repeating the word. Others learn by writing the word or tracing
it in the air to get a feel for the shape of it. Many of us use a combination of these methods.
There is no right or wrong way the trick is to find out what works best for you.
Keep this booklet safe with all your other English work. You will be using it regularly in
class to revise key spelling patterns but you can also use the booklet independently at
home. For further help and advice, see your English teacher or a member of the Learning
Enrichment department.
Some of us are lucky enough to be natural spellers, and may only need to look at a word a
few times to learn it. Many of us, however, do not find spelling so easy. Given that over
80% of English spellings are regular, it makes sense to learn spellings by patterns. This
booklet seeks to help you with this.

Useful Resources
www.spellathon.net
www.timesspellingbee.co.uk
Wordshark software

Tips for Learning Spellings

Try out some of these methods for learning spellings, and see which strategies work best
for you:
1.

Use the Look / Say / Cover / Write / Check method.

2.

Look for words within a word, and highlight them.

eg. s old ier, sep a rat e

3.

Separate and sound out the syllables.

eg. hos-pi-tal, dis-in-fec-tant

4.

Say the word aloud as it is spelt.

eg. Wed-nes-day, bus-i-ness

5.

Invent a mnemonic for the word.

eg. because: baby elephants can always use small exits

6.

Trace out the word with your finger in the air (as though you are writing on an
imaginary whiteboard).

7.

Use highlighters and coloured pens to make common patterns, or unusual features
stand out. Most of us remember things more easily if they are in colour!

8.

Compile an individual black list of spellings that you spell incorrectly on a regular
basis.

9.

Say letter names to a rhythmic beat, like a chant.

eg. u-n-i-o-n, w-e-i-r-d

10.

Learn the derivation of a word.

eg. television, telephone

Contents
Vowel Choices
1.

Unstressed Vowels

2.

Double Consonants

3.

Soft c and g

4.

ie and ei

5.

ai and ay, oa and ow

Pluralisation
6.

-es and -ves

7.

Words ending y and irregulars

Word Endings
8.

Vowel Suffixes (y to i and drop e)

9.

Consonant Suffixes (-ly and -ful)

10.

-able and -ible

11.

-tion, -sion and -ssion

12.

-ent, -ence and -ant, -ance

13.

-ous, -ious and -cious

Prefixes
14.

Antonym Prefixes

15.

Classical Prefixes

High Frequency Words

16.

Common Letter Clusters (-our, -ough, -ear, -au)

17.

Homophones

18.

ph words

19.

Silent Letters (g, n, t, c)

20.

Silent Letters (u, w, k, b)

Appendix
Subject Spellings

1.

Unstressed Vowels

Explanation:
Some vowels are difficult to hear because they are spoken quickly or quietly. Identify and
sound out the syllables (bus-i-ness).
er and en patterns are common (int-er-est-ing, fright-en-ing)
Examples:
Medial er words

Medial en words

Others

1.

camera

5.

deafening

9.

business

2.

different

6.

listening

10.

definite

3.

interesting

7.

frightening

11.

dictionary

4.

miserable

8.

widening

12.

January

13.

library

14.

jewellery

15.

mathematics

16.

Wednesday

Extras:
17.

achievement

18.

altogether

19.

anxious

20.

apparatus

Wordshark - Literacy Hour KS1 and 2, unstressed vowels (various lists)

2.

Double Consonants

Explanation:
Double consonants in the middle of a word mark the boundary of two syllables (sum-mer).
A double consonant follows the short vowel (correct).
For a short vowel word ending in a single consonant, double the consonant before adding
vowel suffixes such as -ing, -er or -ed.
Examples:
Double consonants + -ing, -er or -ed

Medial double consonants

1.

cut, cutting

12.

beginning

2.

drum, drummer

13.

accident

3.

grab, grabbed

14.

address

4.

hot, hotter

15.

common

5.

plan, planned

16.

sudden

6.

pin, pinned

7.

rub, rubber

8.

shop, shopping

9.

trip, tripped

10.

swim, swimmer

11.

win, winning

Extras:
17.

appearance

18.

applause

19.

awkward

20.

audience

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 7, Rule 1, double

3.

Soft c and g

Explanation:
The letter c can be pronounced with a hard c as in can and a soft c as in city when
followed by an e, i or y. Common endings include -ice and -ace.
Similarly, the letter g can be pronounced with a soft g as in gate or a hard g as in
gentle. Common endings include -dge and -age.
Examples:
Soft c

Soft g

1.

cinema

9.

giant

2.

circle

10.

giraffe

3.

decision

11.

imagine

4.

electricity

12.

magic

5.

ceiling

13.

huge

6.

cellar

14.

geography

7.

cemetery

15.

damage

8.

descend

16.

postage

Extras:
17.

basically

18.

beautiful

19.

believe

20.

beige

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 5, soft c

4.

ie and ei

Explanation:
Usually i comes before e except after c. One exception is weird, a weird word!
ie usually says ee as in field while ei usually says ay as in eight.
Examples:
ie words

ei words after c

ei words

1.

believe

9.

ceiling

12.

foreign

2.

fiery

10.

deceive

13.

height

3.

friend

11.

receive

14.

leisure

4.

grief

15.

weight

5.

mischief

16.

weird

6.

piece

7.

relief

8.

thief

Extras:
17.

business

18.

character

19.

chocolate

20.

climb

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 8, odd letter strings

- rule ie, cei
- ei as long a

5.

ai and ay, oa and ow

Explanation:
Vowel sounds have a number of common alternative spellings.
A long a can be spelled ai (main), ay (play) or a-e (made). A long o can be spelled o-e
(phone), oa (moan) or ow (show).
Examples:
ai words

oa words

1.

dainty

9.

boast

2.

reclaim

10.

coach

3.

sprain

11.

groan

4.

terrain

12.

soap

ay words

ow words

5.

crayon

13.

bungalow

6.

player

14.

furrow

7.

prayer

15.

swallow

8.

delay

16.

tomorrow

Extras:
17.

cupboard

18.

cough

19.

definitely

20.

desperate

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 6, long a long o

- ain -ail
- oa mixed
- final ow as long o

6.

-es and -ves

Explanation:
The plural of most nouns is formed by adding -s to the singular. Nouns ending in hissing
(kiss), buzzing (fox) or shushing sounds (wish) usually end -es in the plural (kisses, foxes,
wishes) as do words ending -o (potatoes).
For words ending in -f (thief) or -fe (knife), change -f or -fe to v and add -es (thieves,
knives). However, there are a number of exceptions (roofs).
Examples:
Hissing, buzzing and shushing words

-f or -fe words

1.

buses

9.

elves

2.

crashes

10.

leaves

3.

glasses

11.

loaves

4.

lunches

12.

thieves

-o words

Exceptions

5.

heroes

13.

giraffes

6.

mangoes

14.

reefs

7.

potatoes

15.

roofs

8.

tomatoes

16.

sheriffs

Extras:
17.

disappear

18.

disappoint

19.

embarrass

20.

equipment

Wordshark - KS3 Subject Lists, English KS3 Literacy Hour, Pluralisation

- plurals -es
- plurals -oes
- plurals -f>v

7.

Words ending -y and irregulars

Explanation:
For vowel + y words, add -s (monkeys). For consonant + y words, change the -y to an
i and add -es (cherries).
A number of nouns have unusual plurals. These include words that have no singular
(scissors), words that are the same in the singular and the plural (sheep), and words that
change the medial vowel (goose, geese).
Examples:
-y to i and add -es

Unusual plurals

1.

armies

9.

foot, feet

2.

babies

10.

larva, larvae

3.

centuries

11.

mouse, mice

4.

cities

12.

sheep, sheep

5.

dictionaries

13.

bacteria

6.

diaries

14.

fungi

7.

families

15.

macaroni

8.

stories

16.

ravioli

Extras:
17.

environment

18.

February

19.

fierce

20.

forty

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 7, Plurals

- plurals -ies
- plurals irregular

8.

Vowel Suffixes (y to i and drop e)

Explanation:
For words ending vowel + y (play), keep the y when adding a vowel suffix such as -ed
(played). For words ending consonant + y, change the y to an i when adding a vowel
suffix such as -ed(try, tried) or -er (lazy, lazier).
For words ending vowel + consonant + e, drop the silent e when adding a vowel suffix
such as -ing (smile, smiling).
Examples:
y to i + vowel suffix

Drop e + vowel suffix

1.

cry, cried

9.

drive, driving

2.

marry, married

10.

hope, hoping

3.

try, tried

11.

lose, losing

4.

worry, worried

12.

make, making

5.

happy, happier

13.

pause, pausing

6.

healthy, healthier

14.

smile, smiling

7.

hungry, hungrier

15.

take, taking

8.

lazy, lazier

16.

use, using

Extras:
17.

guard

18.

guess

19.

health

20.

hymn

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 7, Suffix 1

Rule 11 and 111- drop e + ing
Rule V, V1 and V11- change y to i

9.

Consonant Suffixes (-ly and -ful)

Explanation:
Consonant suffixes like -ly (in this manner) and -ful (full of) can generally be added
without changing the base word.
However, words ending consonant + y, change the y to an i when adding -ly (angry,
angrily) or -ful (beauty, beautiful).
Examples:
-ly words

y to i + ly

1.

actually

9.

happily

2.

especially

10.

hungrily

3.

eventually

11.

necessarily

4.

likely

12.

steadily

-ful words

y to i + -ful

5.

forgetful

13.

beautiful

6.

grateful

14.

merciful

7.

successful

15.

pitiful

8.

thoughtful

16.

plentiful

Extras:
17.

interesting

18.

issue

19.

jealous

20.

lonely

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 9, Suffixes

- full ful adj
- suffix ly -ful

10.

-able and -ible

Explanation:
-able endings are more common than -ible ones. There is no clear rule but dropping
-able often leaves a generally recognisable word (agreeable, agree).
For the majority of words ending e, drop the e before adding -able (value, valuable) or
-ible (reverse, reversible). Keep the final e to preserve a soft c (noticeable) or g
(manageable).
Examples:
-able words

Keep e -able words

1.

available

9.

changeable

2.

capable

10.

knowledgeable

3.

comfortable

11.

manageable

4.

vegetable

12.

noticeable

Drop e -able words

-ible words

5.

believable

13.

edible

6.

curable

14.

flexible

7.

debatable

15.

horrible

8.

desirable

16.

sensible

Extras:
17.

marriage

18.

meanwhile

19.

modern

20.

necessary

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 8, (Stage 111), endings

- suffix -able
- suffix -ible
Group 7, Suffix 1, Rule 1V
- suffix not drop e after ce and ge
- drop/not drop e after ce and ge

11.

-tion, -sion and -ssion

Explanation:
-tion, -sion and -ssion prefixes say shun.
-tion is the most common ending. Where the base word ends in de (explode), use -sion
(explosion). -ssionwords (permission) have a clear sh sound.
Examples:
-tion words

-sion words

1.

action

9.

division

2.

celebration

10.

invasion

3.

conservation

11.

revision

4.

description

12.

television

5.

fraction

6.

question

-ssion words

7.

station

13.

discussion

8.

subtraction

14.

mission

15.

percussion

16.

permission

Extras:
17.

neighbour

18.

ninety

19.

original

20.

parallel

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 8, (Stage 111), rr -tion -le -el -il -al ally
- suffix tion verb > noun, - tion 2, - tion 3
- endings suffix sion, - sion & -shion, -ssion noun > verb, -ssion 2

12.

-ent, -ence and -ant, -ance

Explanation:
These words follow no specific rule and need to be learned.
Examples:
-ent words

-ant words

1.

achievement

9.

elephant

2.

advertisement

10.

ignorant

3.

excitement

11.

pleasant

4.

persistent

12.

reluctant

-ence words

-ance words

5.

evidence

13.

appearance

6.

science

14.

distance

7.

sentence

15.

importance

8.

difference

16.

substance

Extras:
17.

peaceful

18.

peculiar

19.

practical

20.

process

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 5, soft c -ance, -ence, -ince

13.

-ous, -ious and -cious

Explanation:
-ous and -ious endings say us as in bus whereas -cious endings say shus as in
precious.
Examples:
-ous words

-ious words

1.

disastrous

9.

serious

2.

famous

10.

curious

3.

humorous

11.

mysterious

4.

jealous

12.

obviously

5.

nervous

6.

numerous

-cious words

7.

ridiculous

13.

spacious

8.

vigorous

14.

precious

15.

suspicious

16.

unconscious

Extras:
17.

queue

18.

receive

19.

recognise

20.

recommend

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 8, (Stage 111), endings

- ous
- ious
- itious -cious

14.

Antonym Prefixes

Explanation:
Prefixes such as im-, in-, il- and ir- mean not. un- means not or opposite of.
Double letters are often created when the prefix is added to a word beginning with the
letter which ends the prefix (im- + mature = immature).
Examples:
im- words

il- and ir- words

1.

immature

9.

illegal

2.

immortal

10.

illegible

3.

impartial

11.

irrational

4.

impatient

12.

irregular

in- words

un- words

5.

inarticulate

13.

unbelievable

6.

inaudible

14.

unconscious

7.

incredible

15.

ungrateful

8.

insincere

16.

uninterested

Extras:
17.

Saturday

18.

sandwich

19.

scissors

20.

separate

Wordshark - KS3 Subject Lists, English KS3 Literacy Hour, Obj 4 Prefixes
- antonym prefixes

15.

Classical Prefixes

Explanation:

auto- means self

circum- means round
bi- means two or twice
micro- means small

Examples:
auto- words

bi- words

1.

autobiography

9.

biceps

2.

autograph

10.

bicycle

3.

automatic

11.

bilingual

4.

autopsy

12.

bisect

circum- words

micro- words

5.

circle

13.

microcosm

6.

circumference

14.

microchip

7.

circumstance

15.

microphone

8.

circus

16.

microscopic

Extras:
17.

shoulder

18.

sieve

19.

sincerely

20.

skilful

Wordshark - KS3 Subject Lists, English KS3 Literacy Hour, Obj 4 Prefixes
- classical prefixes mixed

16.

Common Letter Clusters (-our, -ough, -ear, -au)

Explanation:
These common letter clusters make different sounds and need to be learned.
Examples:
our words

ear words

1.

colour

9.

early

2.

favourite

10.

earth

3.

flavour

11.

heard

4.

journey

12.

learn

ough words

au words

5.

bought

13.

autumn

6.

cough

14.

author

7.

drought

15.

August

8.

enough

16.

because

Extras:
17.

stomach

18.

strength

19.

success

20.

surely

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 6, (Stage 11)

oi, oy, ou, ow, au, aw, oar, - au
ir, ur, er, ear 1 sound, - ear saying er
Group 8, (Stage 111)
odd letter strings, - aught and ought
endings, - our

17.

Homophones

Explanation:
Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently.
Analogy with family groups can be helpful (here, where, there) or focusing on single
letters (e for envelope in stationery; s for verb, c for noun as in to practise).
Examples:
1.

there / their / theyre

2.

were / where / were

3.

to / two / too

4.

of / off

5.

are / our

6.

its / its

7.

here / hear

8.

your / youre

9.

whos / whose

10.

passed / past

11.

practice / practise

12.

bare / bear

13.

pair / pear

14.

by / buy / bye

15.

waist / waste

16.

weigh / way

Extra:
17.

surprise

18.

technology

19.

texture

20.

tomorrow

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 8, (Stage 111)

- homophones bonanza

18.

ph words

Explanation:
In some words (of Greek origin), the letters p and h are put together to make a new
sound ph as in phone.
Examples:
ph- at word beginnings

Medial ph-

ph- at word endings

1.

phase

4.

atmosphere

12.

biography

2.

phrase

5.

emphasis

13.

geography

3.

physics

6.

emphasize

14.

graph

7.

nephew

15.

paragraph

8.

orphan

16.

photograph

9.

sophisticated

10.

telephone

11.

trophy

Extras:
17.

traveller

18.

twelfth

19.

unique

20.

unnatural

Wordshark - Group 8, odd letter strings

- ph as f

19.

Silent Letters (g, n, t, c)

Explanation:
Silent letters need to be learned by heart.
Examples:
Silent g

Silent t

1.

gnat

9.

castle

2.

gnaw

10.

listen

3.

sign

11.

often

4.

design

12.

whistle

Silent n

Silent c

5.

autumn

13.

scene

6.

condemn

14.

science

7.

column

15.

scissors

8.

hymn

16.

muscle

Extras:
17.

variety

18.

valuable

19.

vegetable

20.

velocity

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 8, (Stage 111)

rr -tion -le -el -il -al ally
- -stle scle
silent letters
- silent letters mixed

20.

Silent Letters (u, w, k, b)

Explanation:
Silent letters need to be learned by heart.
Examples:
Silent u

Silent k

1.

biscuit

9.

knight

2.

disguise

10.

knee

3.

guess

11.

knot

4.

tongue

12.

knock

Silent w

Silent b

5.

wrong

13.

bomb

6.

write

14.

lamb

7.

wrist

15.

numb

8.

wrap

16.

thumb

Extras:
17.

Wednesday

18.

weight

19.

weird

20.

woollen

Wordshark - Alpha to Omega, Group 8, (Stage 111)

silent letters
- -kn gn silent k,g
- -wr silent w
- -mb silent b

Second Form Subject Spellings

English

Maths

alliteration

approximate

antonym

breadth

author

co-ordinates

atmosphere

equilateral

description

equivalent

dialogue

isosceles

imagery

kilometre

metaphor

negative

onomatopoeia

opposite

personification

parallel

rhyme

parallelogram

rhythm

pentagon

scene

probability

simile

quadrilateral

synonym

sequence

History

Geography

archbishop

Antarctica

army (-ies)

Arctic Ocean

Bailey

British Isles

besiege

contour line

cavalry

convenience goods

Conqueror

equator

Domesday

Greenwich mean time

evidence

longitude

feudal

Northern Ireland

foreign

physical geography

guard

precipitation

knight

process

marriage (-ied)

redevelop

martyr

revenue

monatery (-ies)

symbol

Motte

sustainable

plague

urban regeneration

probably

voluntary migrant

siege
soldier
villain

Science

Religious Studies

absorb

believe

acceleration

Bible

ammeter

celebration

converge

Christian

flexible

disciple

frequency

Jerusalem

indices

Judaism

joule

Pentecost

liquid

prayer

nutrient

resurrection

organism

Spirit

oxygen

symbol

radii

synagogue

vacuum

Testament

vary

Trinity

vertebrate

Art and Design

baton
collage
colour
design
dowel
mechanism
textile
texture
movement
pattern