a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning

the base word from which other words are formed often by adding prefixes or suffixes

a speech sound produced with an open mouth

a sound that is made by blocking air in the mouth with the teeth, tongue, lips or palate

Practise and apply spelling -er and -est words with alternative rules

English

In this unit, pupils learn the spelling and grammar conventions used with the suffixes -ly, -ful and -less.  In 'Prefixes, Homonyms and Homophones', pupils learn spelling and grammar conventions used with prefixes meaning 'not' and the spelling of homophones and homonyms.

In ‘Capital letters and numerals’, pupils learnt the spelling and grammar conventions used with common suffixes: -ed and -ing. In this unit, pupils build on this knowledge, learning the spelling and grammar conventions used with the suffixes -ly, -ful and -less.

More suffixes and silent letters

Double the consonant and add -er or -est.

Match the words to the rules that apply to them when adding the suffix -er or -est.

Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'This is the **carmist** I have ever seen the sea.'

Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'You will need a **lardger** size.'

Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'Your bedroom is the **messyest** room in the house.'

Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'My number of blocks is **biggur** than yours.'

Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: 'It was a **diffaclt** decision to make.'

What happens when the suffix -est is added to a word such as 'long' or ‘fast’?

What happens when the suffix -er is added to a root word ending in 'e', such as 'nice' or 'close'?

What happens when the suffix -est is added to a root word ending in 'y', such as 'angry' or 'funny'?

What happens when the suffix -er is added to a root word including a short vowel followed by a single consonant, such as 'big' or 'mad'?

Double the consonant after a short vowel, then add -est.

Starter Quiz