Statutory Rules and guidance (nonstatutory) Example words (nonstatutory) requirements Words with the The ‘i before e except after c’ rule applies to deceive, conceive, receive, /i:/ sound spelt ei words where the sound spelt by ei is /i:/. perceive, ceiling after c Exceptions: protein, caffeine, seize (and either and neither if pronounced with an initial /i:/ sound). Words containing ough is one of the trickiest spellings in English ought, bought, thought, nought, the letter-string – it can be used to spell a number of different brought, fought ough sounds. rough, tough, enough cough though, although, dough through thorough, borough plough, bough Words with Some letters which are no longer sounded doubt, island, lamb, solemn, ‘silent’ letters (i.e. used to be sounded hundreds of years ago: thistle, knight letters whose e.g. in knight, there was a /k/ sound before presence cannot the /n/, and the gh used to represent the be predicted from sound that ‘ch’ now represents in the Scottish the pronunciation word loch. of the word) Statutory Rules and guidance (nonstatutory) Example words (nonstatutory) requirements Homophones and In the pairs of words opposite, nouns end –ce advice/advise other words that and verbs end –se. Advice and advise provide device/devise are often a useful clue as the word advise (verb) is licence/license confused pronounced with a /z/ sound – which could not be spelt c. practice/practise prophecy/prophesy More examples: aisle: a gangway between seats (in a church, farther: further
Statutory requirements Rules and guidance (nonstatutory) Example words (nonstatutory) Words with the /i:/ sound spelt ei after c The ‘i before e except after c’ rule applies to words where the sound spelt by ei is /i:/. Exceptions: protein, caffeine, seize (and either and neither if pronounced with an initial /i:/ sound). deceive, conceive, receive, perceive, ceiling Words containing the letter-string ough ough is one of the trickiest spellings in English – it can be used to spell a number of different sounds. ought, bought, thought, nought, brought, fought rough, tough, enough cough though, although, dough through thorough, borough plough, bough Words with ‘silent’ letters (i.e. letters whose presence cannot be predicted from the pronunciation of the word) Some letters which are no longer sounded used to be sounded hundreds of years ago: e.g. in knight, there was a /k/ sound before the /n/, and the gh used to represent the sound that ‘ch’ now represents in the Scottish word loch. doubt, island, lamb, solemn, thistle, knight Statutory requirements Rules and guidance (nonstatutory) Example words (nonstatutory) Homophones and other words that are often confused In the pairs of words opposite, nouns end –ce and verbs end –se. Advice and advise provide a useful clue as the word advise (verb) is pronounced with a /z/ sound – which could not be spelt c. More examples: aisle: a gangway between seats (in a church, advice/advise device/devise licence/license practice/practise prophecy/prophesy farther: further
Policy-Procedure-and-Scheme-of-work-for-spelling.docx