Spelling is a learned skill not a special talent. Spelling can be mastered by learning a few basic rules about when to change the endings on words. Most spelling rules have to do with adding suffixes¹ in some form to a base word. This chapter reviews the five most important spelling rules including when you should double the consonant² at the end of a word before adding -ed or -ing and when to change a y to an i before adding an ending.

Another aspect of spelling besides endings is knowing when to join words and when to separate them. The chapter has a list of words that should always be separated like the word a lot. A lot is not a word. There is also a look at words whose spellings change depending on the meaning of the word. Spelling can be mastered through learning a few rules and getting lots of practice.