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Academy11+

11+ English · Topic explained

Tricky spelling rules

Why is it "receive" but "believe"?

The big idea

A few spelling rules help you spell thousands of words, as long as you watch for the exceptions.

Picture it

Spelling rules are shortcuts on a map: learn a few, and watch out for the odd road that breaks them.

Key words

i before e
i before e, except after c, when the sound is "ee": believe, receive.
doubling
Double the last consonant before -ing or -ed when the stress is on the last syllable: begin → beginning.
-tion, -sion, -cian
Endings that sound like "shun": action, tension, discussion, musician.

Worked examples

  1. 1Warm-up

    believe chief field

    • The "ee" sound, not after c: i before e.
  2. 211+ standard

    receive ceiling but weird, seize, protein

    • After c, it's ei: receive, ceiling.
    • A few words break the rule: learn them.
  3. 311+ standard

    begin → beginning forget → forgetting but open → opening

    • beGIN: stress on the end, so double the n.
    • Open: stress on the start (OPen), so don't.
  4. 411+ standard

    act → action tense → tension discuss → discussion music → musician

    • Root ends in t: -tion. Ends in se or d: often -sion. Ends in ss: -ssion.
    • A person's job from a word ending in c: -cian.

The common mistake

The mistake

"i before e" always works.

Instead

It only works for the "ee" sound: neighbour, weigh and their don't follow it.

Why: In neighbour and weigh, ei makes an "ay" sound, so the rule doesn't apply.

Where it comes up in the 11+

GL papers ask you to find the misspelt word in a line, and these exact patterns are favourites.

The video

Video coming soon

We're making a short video that explains tricky spelling rules step by step. Until then, everything it covers is on this page.

Free printable

Tricky spelling rules worksheet

Practice questions on this topic to print and try on paper, at home or on the way to school.

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Quick quiz

Have a go first, then tap to see the answer.

  1. 1. Which is spelt correctly?

    • recieve
    • receive
    • receeve
    Show the answer

    receive

    After c, the "ee" sound is spelt ei.

  2. 2. Which is spelt correctly?

    • beginning
    • begining
    • beggining
    Show the answer

    beginning

    beGIN is stressed at the end, so double the n.

  3. 3. Someone who works with electricity is an electri___.

    • tion
    • sion
    • cian
    Show the answer

    cian

    electric ends in c, and it's a person's job: electrician.