SPELLING
C or K
Students can begin in Kindergarten learning that the general rule for using "k" or "c" at the beginning of a word is dependent on the vowel sound following.
- Words where the vowel sound is long or short /a/, /o/, /u/ following the /k/ sound is spelled "c".
- Words where the vowel sound is long or short /e/, /i/ following the /k/ sound is spelled "k".
- So... ca, co, cu and ke, ki. (common exceptions are koala and kangaroo which are borrowed from Australia!)
- Don't forget that the /k/ sound at the end of a short vowel word or syllable is usually spelled "ck".
-ed ending
Is it /d/ or /t/ or does it sound like a separate syllable? Confused about the -ed ending? Here are some helpful posters that will make it easier to understand which sound to pronounce (and conversely, which sound to spell) when faced with -ed endings.
-ed pronounced /t/
-ed pronounced /d/
-ed as a separate syllable -ed
Voiced, unvoiced, and nasal consonant sounds chart
Spelling words in English is based on five basic principles. Shauna Juarez created a poster for each of these principles.
Principle 1
Principle 2
Principle 3
Principle 4
Principle 5
The pages listed below feature a common spelling pattern with examples.
