Spelling Patterns
The rules behind English spelling, one pattern at a time - each with the exact word lists our K-6 curriculum teaches, the rule in plain language, common mistakes, and one-click free practice and printables.
CVC Words
A CVC word is consonant + vowel + consonant. The final consonant closes the syllable, so the single vowel says its short sound: a as in cat, e as in bed, i as in sit, o as in hot, u as in sun.
Lists, rule & practice →Consonant Digraph Words
A consonant digraph is two letters that spell one sound: ch as in chip, sh as in ship, th as in thin and that, wh as in when. The two letters work as a single unit and cannot be sounded out separately.
Lists, rule & practice →Consonant Blend Words
In a consonant blend, two consonants sit together and each keeps its own sound: bl in blue, cr in crop, st in stop. This is different from a digraph, where two letters spell one new sound.
Lists, rule & practice →Contractions
A contraction joins two words and replaces the dropped letters with an apostrophe: do not becomes don't, I am becomes I'm, we will becomes we'll. The apostrophe sits exactly where the missing letters used to be.
Lists, rule & practice →Silent E Words
When a one-syllable word ends in vowel + consonant + e, the final e is silent and the first vowel says its long sound: a_e as in cake, i_e as in kite, o_e as in home, u_e as in cube.
Lists, rule & practice →R-Controlled Vowel Words
When a vowel is followed by r in the same syllable, the r changes the vowel sound: ar as in car, or as in fork, and er, ir, ur, which all make the same /er/ sound as in her, bird, and turn.
Lists, rule & practice →Vowel Team Words
A vowel team is two vowels that spell one sound, usually the long sound of the first vowel: ai/ay for long a (rain, play), ee/ea for long e (green, team), oa/ow for long o (boat, snow). Position decides many choices: ai, oa in the middle of words; ay, ow at the end.
Lists, rule & practice →Homophones
Homophones sound identical but differ in spelling and meaning: to/too/two, hear/here, sea/see, one/won, blue/blew. The sound cannot tell you which spelling to use - the meaning in the sentence decides.
Lists, rule & practice →Prefix Words
A prefix attaches to the front of a base word and changes its meaning, and the spelling of both parts stays intact: un + happy = unhappy, re + write = rewrite, pre + view = preview. No letters are dropped or doubled at the join.
Lists, rule & practice →Diphthong Words
A diphthong is a gliding vowel sound: /oi/ as in coin and boy, /ou/ as in cloud and cow. Position usually decides the spelling: oi and ou at the start or middle of a word (coin, loud), oy and ow at the end (boy, cow).
Lists, rule & practice →Soft C and Soft G Words
C softens to /s/ and g softens to /j/ when the next letter is e, i, or y: city, circle, gem, giant, energy. Before any other letter they keep their hard sounds: cat, cup, goat, gum.
Lists, rule & practice →Suffix Words
A suffix attaches to the end of a base word: help + ful = helpful, hope + less = hopeless, big + er = bigger, kind + ness = kindness. Suffixes starting with a vowel can trigger spelling changes in the base (big doubles its g); suffixes starting with a consonant usually leave the base alone.
Lists, rule & practice →Irregular Plural Nouns
Irregular plurals change in one of three main ways instead of adding -s: the inside vowel shifts (man/men, foot/feet, mouse/mice), the word stays the same (fish, sheep), or an old ending attaches (child/children). A few borrowed words keep foreign plurals (cactus/cacti).
Lists, rule & practice →Silent Letter Words
Some letter pairs include a letter that is written but not spoken: kn says /n/ (knock, knee, knife), wr says /r/ (write, wrong, wreck), a final mb says /m/ (comb, lamb), and h is silent in words like ghost and hour.
Lists, rule & practice →More patterns are on the way: compound words, Greek and Latin roots, and more long-vowel patterns - all built from the same curriculum lists.