Spelling Rules

Writing (and therefore spelling) is a representation of the spoken word. The spoken word is not a representation of writing. Because accents and pronunciation can change easily and quite quickly, whereas what is written in books and dictionaries remains "fixed" for years, as well as for various historical reasons, there is often little correspondence between spoken English (pronunciation) and written English (spelling). English spelling therefore often appears to be totally illogical. The following rules can help you to decode the mysteries of English spelling. But remember, even the best rules have their exceptions.

• Adding -er/-est
  quick, quicker, quickest; happy, happier, happiest; hot, hotter, hottest
• Adding -ing/-ed
  work, working, worked; stop, stopping, stopped
• Adding -ly
  loud, loudly; happy, happily; terrible, terribly
• Adding -s
  dog, dogs; church, churches; wife, wives
• -ible or -able
  accessible, visible; dependable, networkable
• -ie- or -ei-
  friend, fiend; feint, freight