What you will learn
- Add a prefix or a suffix and keep the meaning clear.
- Drop the e, double a consonant, and choose ie or ei.
- Check a built word by saying it and looking at the root.
A root is the main part of a word. Help is a root. A prefix is added at the front and changes the meaning. Un means not, so unhappy means not happy. Re means again, so reread means read again. A suffix is added at the end. Ful means full of, so careful means full of care. Er can mean a person, so teacher means a person who teaches.
Three rules prevent many slips. Drop the silent e before a suffix that starts with a vowel: care plus ing becomes caring, not careing. Double the consonant when a short vowel needs protection: run plus ing becomes running. For ie and ei, a common rule is i before e except after c, when the sound is ee: believe, receive. The rule has exceptions, so check odd words.
Spelling is part of editing. Get the story or the report down first, then apply the rules.
Prefixes and suffixes
Un, re and dis are useful prefixes. Unhappy, unsafe, reread, rewrite, disagree, disappear. The root stays a real word you know.
Ful, less, er and ing are useful suffixes. Careful, careless, teacher, playing. Ful in these words is spelled with one l. Full as its own word has two.
Add one piece at a time and say the word. If you cannot hear the root, you may have added the wrong piece.
Worked example 1
Build not happy, and full of care.
Show me how
Not happy uses the prefix un: unhappy.
Full of care uses the suffix ful: careful.
Say both words and listen for the root.
Three rules
Drop e: make plus ing is making. Use plus ed can be used. Keep the e if you need it to hold a sound, as in noticeable, but for this lesson the main pattern is drop e before ing.
Double the consonant after a short vowel in a short word: hop, hopping. Hope, hoping does not double, because the e drops and the vowel is long. Say the word. A short vowel often needs the double letter.
I before e except after c, for the ee sound: believe, receive. Their is not this pattern. Their is the ownership word, and it is an exception you memorise.
Worked example 2
Spell hop plus ing, and hope plus ing.
Show me how
Hop has a short vowel, so hopping doubles the p.
Hope drops the e before ing: hoping. It does not double.
Say hop and hope. The sounds are different, so the spellings are different.
Check the root
When a word looks wrong, cover the prefix and the suffix. If the root is misspelled, fix that first. Un + happy, not un + hapy.
Do not add a prefix and a random letter. Disagree is dis plus agree. Look at the root agree and keep it whole.
Keep a personal list of five words you miss. Rules help the patterns. The list helps the rebels.
Watch out! A common mistake
A common mistake is careing or hopeing, keeping an e that should drop, or hoping, forgetting to double the p.
Try it
TRY ITSpelling lab
Let’s practise
Work each one in your copybook. Open Hint if you are stuck, then open Show answer to check.
1. What is a prefix?
Hint
Front or back?
Show answer
A part added at the front of a root that changes the meaning.
2. What does un mean in unhappy?
Hint
A small word.
Show answer
Not.
3. Spell care plus ful.
Hint
One l in the suffix.
Show answer
Careful.
4. Spell hope plus ing.
Hint
Drop a letter.
Show answer
Hoping.
5. Spell hop plus ing.
Hint
Short vowel.
Show answer
Hopping.
6. Spell the ee sound after c in the word that means to be given something.
Hint
Except after c.
Show answer
Receive.
7. Why is careing wrong?
Hint
Look at the e.
Show answer
The silent e drops before ing.
8. What should you cover when a long word looks wrong?
Hint
Find the middle.
Show answer
Cover the prefix and the suffix and check the root.
Quiz
Lesson quiz: 10 questions
Answer every question, then press Check my answers. Score 8 or more to earn the Spelling Builder badge.
Spelling Rules, Prefixes and Suffixes: worksheet
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Part A: Let’s practise
1. What is a prefix?
2. What does un mean in unhappy?
3. Spell care plus ful.
4. Spell hope plus ing.
5. Spell hop plus ing.
6. Spell the ee sound after c in the word that means to be given something.
7. Why is careing wrong?
8. What should you cover when a long word looks wrong?
Part B: Quiz
1. A prefix is added where?
(a) At the front of the root
(b) Only at the end
(c) In the middle of a vowel team
(d) After a full stop
2. Unhappy means what?
(a) Not happy
(b) Happy again
(c) Full of happy
(d) A person who is happy
3. Which spelling of care plus ful is right?
(a) careful
(b) carefull
(c) careing
(d) carful
4. Hope plus ing is spelled how?
(a) hoping
(b) hopeing
(c) hopping
(d) hope-ing
5. Hop plus ing is spelled how?
(a) hopping
(b) hoping
(c) hopeing
(d) hopin
6. Which follows i before e except after c?
(a) receive
(b) recieve
(c) beleive
(d) thier
7. Reread means what?
(a) Read again
(b) Do not read
(c) Read without care
(d) A person who reads
8. Careless means what?
(a) Without care
(b) Full of care
(c) Care again
(d) Not a verb
9. You should add more and also double every word.
True or False? Circle one: True / False
10. When a built word looks wrong, what do you check first?
(a) The root
(b) The chart title
(c) The plot climax
(d) The greeting
Answers (for the adult)
Part A
1. A part added at the front of a root that changes the meaning.
2. Not.
3. Careful.
4. Hoping.
5. Hopping.
6. Receive.
7. The silent e drops before ing.
8. Cover the prefix and the suffix and check the root.
Part B
1. (a) At the front of the root
2. (a) Not happy
3. (a) careful
4. (a) hoping
5. (a) hopping
6. (a) receive
7. (a) Read again
8. (a) Without care
9. False
10. (a) The root
Recap
- Prefixes change meaning at the front. Suffixes add meaning at the end.
- Drop e before ing. Double the consonant after a short vowel. I before e except after c for the ee sound.
- Their is an exception to memorise.
- Check the root.
Words to know
- root
- The main part of a word.
Example: Help is the root of helpful. - prefix
- A part added at the front.
Example: Un is a prefix. - suffix
- A part added at the end.
Example: Ful is a suffix. - consonant
- A letter that is not a vowel.
Example: P is the consonant doubled in hopping.
Try it at home
- Build ten words with un, re, ful or less and use each in a sentence.
- Make two columns: drop e, and double the consonant. Add five words.
- Start a personal list of five spellings you want to master.
Test tips
Tips for class tests
- Say the word, then look for the root.
- If the vowel is short, check for a double consonant before ing.
- Their, there and they are are memorised, not built with ie.
For parents and teachers
After this lesson, your child should be able to:
- Explain un, re, ful and less with one word each.
- Spell hoping and hopping and say why they differ.
- Apply i before e except after c to believe and receive.
Exceptions such as their and weird can sit on the personal list. Do not force the ie rule onto words it was never meant for.
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Previous: Reports, Letters, E-mails and Reflective Writing
Next: Media Messages: Purposes and Techniques
Course: Standard 3 English
Updates
2026/11/06
– Published this lesson and linked the previous and next lessons.
– First draft of this English lesson, with a hands-on lab, practice, quiz badge and worksheet.
Attributions to media used in this post:
No third-party pictures or recordings. The diagrams in the activity are original drawings for this lesson.
© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.