Spelling

To understand the limited power of the spell checker, enjoy the following poem, whose origins are unknown.

I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC;
It plainly marks four my revue
Mistakes I cannot sea.
I've run this poem threw it,
I'm sure your pleased too no,
Its letter perfect in it's weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.

Just as so many of us rely on calculators to do all our math for us—even to the point that we do not trust calculations done by our own hand—far too many of us use spell checkers as proofreaders, and we ultimately use them to justify our laziness. I once received a complaint from an outraged professor that a student had continually misspelled "miscellaneous" as "mescaline" (a hallucinogenic drug). The student’s spell checker did not pick up the error, but the professor certainly did.

So proceed with caution when using spell checkers. They are not gods, and they do not substitute for meticulous proofreading and clear thinking. There is an instructive moment in a M*A*S*H episode when Father Mulcahy complains to Colonel Potter about a typo in a new set of Bibles—one of the commandments reads “Thou shalt commit adultery.” Always proofread a hard copy with your own two eyes.

Six Rules for Spelling

I have a crusty old copy of Instant Spelling Dictionary (1964), and I adapted the six basic spelling rules below from that reference.

Rule 1

In words ending with a silent “e,” drop the “e” before a suffix beginning with a vowel.

survive + al = survival

divide + ing = dividing

fortune + ate = fortunate

Common Exceptions:

  • manageable
  • singeing
  • mileage
  • advantageous
  • dyeing
  • acreage
  • peaceable
  • canoeing
  • lineage

Rule 2

In words ending with a silent “e,” retain the “e” before a suffix that begins with a consonant.

arrange + ment = arrangement

forgive + ness = forgiveness

safe + ty = safety

Common Exceptions:

  • ninth (from nine)
  • argument (from argue)
  • wisdom (from wise)
  • wholly (from whole)

Rule 3

In words of two or more syllables that are accented on the final syllable and end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel.

refer + ing = referring

regret + able = regrettable

If the accent is not on the last syllable, do not double the consonant:

benefit + ed = benefited

audit + ed = audited

Rule 4

In one-syllable words ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel.

big + est = biggest

hot + er = hotter

bag + age = baggage

Rule 5

In words ending in “y” preceded by a consonant, change the “y” to “i” before any suffix not beginning with “i.”

beauty + ful = beautiful

accompany + ment = accompaniment

accompany + ing = accompanying (suffix begins with i)

If the final “y” follows a vowel, do not change it:

  • journeys
  • obeying
  • essays
  • buys
  • repaying
  • attorneys

Rule 6

Use “i” before “e” except when the two letters follow “c” and have an “e” sound, or when they have an “a” sound, as in “neighbor” and “weigh.”

i before e (e sound)

  • shield
  • believe
  • grieve
  • mischievous

e before i (a sound)

  • vein
  • weight
  • veil
  • neighbor

Common Exceptions:

  • weird
  • foreign
  • forfeit
  • either
  • ancient
  • neither
  • sovereign
  • siege
  • height
  • seize
  • surfeit
  • leisure