Spelling -able & -ible

PROCEDURAL

English›Spelling & Word Study|Ages 9—10|ID: mt_9hBs430cU4

Spell words ending in -able/-ible and the corresponding adverb forms -ably/-ibly, applying patterns to determine which suffix to use based on the root word

Mastery Evidence

Apply the guideline that -able is typically used with complete root words (enjoyable, comfortable) while -ible is used with incomplete roots (visible, possible), noting key exceptions
Convert -able/-ible adjectives into adverbs by changing the ending to -ably/-ibly, e.g. comfortable → comfortably, possible → possibly, terrible → terribly
Determine whether to drop or retain the final -e of the root when adding -able, e.g. adorable (drop e) vs changeable (keep e before soft g)

Assessment Prompt

“When [child] needs to spell a word ending in "-able" or "-ible" — like "comfortable" or "visible" — can they choose the right ending and spell it correctly?”

Curriculum Standards2 alignments

Eng_App1_Sp_Y56_04The national curriculum in England

Words ending in –able and –ible

English · Key Stage 2

Eng_App1_Sp_Y56_05The national curriculum in England

Words ending in –ably and –ibly

English · Key Stage 2

Prerequisites1

Suffixes (age 7+)
hardAges 7—9

Show full prerequisite tree

Suffixes (age 7+) hard
The -able/-ible and -ably/-ibly patterns build directly on suffix knowledge from the Y3-4 programme
- Suffixes hard
  Y3 suffix/sound-spelling builds directly on Y2 suffix rules with root changes
  - Segmenting words into sounds hard
    Must be able to encode base words before applying suffix rules
    - Phonics Vocabulary hard
      Segmenting words into phonemes and spelling CVC words requires knowing 'phoneme', 'segment', and 'CVC' as defined terms
    - Single Letter Sounds hard
      Need GPC knowledge to encode phonemes
      - Knowing all letters hard
        Must recognise letters before learning their sounds
        
        Understanding print hard
        Must understand print direction before letter identification matters
    - Onsets & Rimes hard
      Need segmenting skill for spelling
      - Rhyming words soft
        Rhyme awareness supports finer phoneme skills
      - Syllables soft
        Syllable awareness builds toward phoneme level
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for spelling practice
  - Phonics Vocabulary hard
    Suffix spelling rules (doubling final consonants, dropping -e) require knowing 'suffix', 'root word', 'vowel', and 'consonant'
  - Spelling Verb Endings hard
    Y2 suffix rules build on Y1 basic suffix spelling
    - Segmenting words into sounds hard
      Must spell root words before adding suffixes
      - Phonics Vocabulary hard
        Segmenting words into phonemes and spelling CVC words requires knowing 'phoneme', 'segment', and 'CVC' as defined terms
      - Single Letter Sounds hard
        Need GPC knowledge to encode phonemes
        
        Knowing all letters hard
        Must recognise letters before learning their sounds
        
        Understanding print hard
        Must understand print direction before letter identification matters
      - Onsets & Rimes hard
        Need segmenting skill for spelling
        
        Rhyming words soft
        Rhyme awareness supports finer phoneme skills
        
        Syllables soft
        Syllable awareness builds toward phoneme level
      - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
        Handwriting needed for spelling practice
    - Phonics Vocabulary hard
      Spelling with suffixes requires knowing 'suffix', 'root word', and understanding how suffixes attach
- Spelling Verb Endings soft
  Basic suffix spelling from Y1 provides foundation
  - Segmenting words into sounds hard
    Must spell root words before adding suffixes
    - Phonics Vocabulary hard
      Segmenting words into phonemes and spelling CVC words requires knowing 'phoneme', 'segment', and 'CVC' as defined terms
    - Single Letter Sounds hard
      Need GPC knowledge to encode phonemes
      - Knowing all letters hard
        Must recognise letters before learning their sounds
        
        Understanding print hard
        Must understand print direction before letter identification matters
    - Onsets & Rimes hard
      Need segmenting skill for spelling
      - Rhyming words soft
        Rhyme awareness supports finer phoneme skills
      - Syllables soft
        Syllable awareness builds toward phoneme level
    - Sitting and holding a pencil soft
      Handwriting needed for spelling practice
  - Phonics Vocabulary hard
    Spelling with suffixes requires knowing 'suffix', 'root word', and understanding how suffixes attach

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