Spelling rule
Adding -ly
-ly turns many describing words into adverbs, words that say how something is done. Usually you just add it, but a few endings change.
How it works
- 1
Usually just add -ly
- sad → sadly
- frequent → frequently
- sincere → sincerely
- immediate → immediately
- 2
Words ending -al keep their l, so you get ll
- actual → actually
- accidental → accidentally
- occasional → occasionally
- especial → especially
- usual → usually
- 3
Words ending -le: change le to ly
- probable → probably
- gentle → gently
- simple → simply
- 4
A consonant then y: change the y to i
- happy → happily
- easy → easily
- angry → angrily
- 5
Words ending -ic: add -ally
- basic → basically
- frantic → frantically
Watch out
- truly, duly, wholly and publicly are rule-breakers.
Memory trick
accidentally = accident + al + ly. Say acci-dent-AL-ly so you don't lose the al.
Words to practise
Years 3 and 4 statutory words
- accidentally
- actually
- occasionally
- probably
Years 5 and 6 statutory words
- frequently
- immediately
- sincerely
- especially
Practise a few minutes a day
The daily spelling workout brings back the words your child finds tricky, and shows you which rules they need to revisit.