English Spelling Rules

Key spelling rules for adding -ing, -ed, -er/-est, plurals, and other common endings, plus frequently confused words.

Rule 1 — Doubling consonants

Double the final consonant before a vowel suffix (-ing, -ed, -er, -est) when:

The word has one syllable, one vowel, and one final consonant

Base	+ -ing	+ -ed
run	running	—
stop	stopping	stopped
swim	swimming	—
big	bigger	—

Do not double if the word ends in two consonants, two vowels, or is stressed on the first syllable (2+ syllables):

listing (not lissting), meeting (two vowels), opening (stress on o-pen)

Rule 2 — Silent -e

Drop the final -e before a vowel suffix:

Base	+ -ing	+ -able
make	making	makable
hope	hoping	hopable

Keep the -e before a consonant suffix:

hope → hopeful*, use → useless*

Rule 3 — y → i

Change y → i before most suffixes when y follows a consonant:

happy → happiness, happier, happiest*, happily*
study → studied, studi**es*

Keep the y before -ing and when a vowel precedes y:

studying (not studiing), player, play**ed*

Rule 4 — i before e

i before e, except after c (when the sound is /iː/) — and many exceptions!

i before e	e before i (after c)	Exceptions
believe, field, piece, thief	receive, ceiling, deceive	weird, their, weight, height

Common Confusable Words

Words	Difference
there / their / they're	place / possessive / they are
your / you're	possessive / you are
its / it's	possessive / it is
to / too / two	direction / also/excess / number
affect / effect	verb (to affect) / noun (the effect)
practise / practice	verb (UK) / noun (UK)
lose / loose	to misplace / not tight
than / then	comparison / time sequence

Real world: autocorrect and spell-check errors

The app kept changing runing to running — correct! (doubling rule) The student typed hopeing but the spell-checker flagged it as hoping (drop the silent -e). A sign in the shop window read: "Today's special — we've reduced prices on all items." All contractions, all spelled correctly.

Real world: homophones in everyday writing

Their coats are on the rack. (their = belonging to them) They're coming to the party tonight. (they're = they are) There is a café on the corner. (there = place) The new policy will affect everyone. The effect was immediate.

Tip Spelling rules appear every time you write in English — in emails, essays, and social media posts. The most common errors are doubled consonants (runing → running), silent -e (hopeing → hoping), and confusable words (their / there / they're). A quick check before sending saves embarrassment.

Practice Problems

Spell correctly: 'sit' + -ing

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sitting (double the t)

Spell correctly: 'hope' + -ing

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hoping (drop the silent e)

Spell correctly: 'happy' + -ness

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happiness (y → i before -ness)

Choose the correct form: (Their/They're) going to the park.

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They're going to the park. (= They are)