Spelling words with the spellings -le, -el and -il | English

Starter quiz

Match the nouns to the rules they demonstrate when becoming plural.
- lunch - lunches
  
  ⇔
  
  Just add -es. ✓
- story- stories
  
  ⇔
  
  Remove the ‘y’, add -ies ✓
- elf - elves
  
  ⇔
  
  Remove ‘f’ or ‘fe’, add -ves ✓
Choose the correct spelling of the word in bold in the following sentence: I bought two loafes of bread to make sandwiches.
- loafs
- loavs
- lowves
- loaves ✓
Which of these words contain the 'l' sound?
- lose ✓
- item
- drill ✓
- bar
Choose the representation of the 'l' sound that matches the words.
- hill
  
  ⇔
  
  ll ✓
- slope
  
  ⇔
  
  l ✓
- table
  
  ⇔
  
  le ✓
- tunnel
  
  ⇔
  
  el ✓
- evil
  
  ⇔
  
  il ✓
What kind of sound is the 'l' sound?
- vowel
- consonant ✓
- short vowel
- long vowel
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in the sentence. The equippmant is very valuable.
- 'equipment' ✓

Which words contain the 'le' spelling of the 'l' sound?
- little ✓
- cruel
- juggle ✓
- model
- devil
Which words contain the 'el' spelling of the 'l' sound?
- pencil
- travel ✓
- tunnel ✓
- apple
- table
Which words contain the 'il' spelling of the 'l' sound?
- still
- tinsel
- rumble
- fossil ✓
- pupil ✓
Which is the least common representation of the 'l' sound at the end of words?
- -le
- -ll
- -l
- -il ✓
- -el
Choose the correct spelling to complete this sentence: I held onto the...
- handle ✓
- handel
- handll
- handil
Correct the spelling of the word in bold in this sentence: Try and remember to hang out your towell
- 'towel' ✓

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The spelling -le is the most common spelling out of the suffixes -le, -el, -al and -il.
The spelling -le often forms letter strings: -cle, -dle, -able, -ckle, -ible and -ple.
The spelling -el is one of the least common spellings out of the suffixes -le, -el, -al and -il.
The spelling -il is the least common spelling out of the suffixes -le, -el, -al and -il.
How to spell the curriculum words: vehicle and apparent.

Children may think that the vowel sound preceding the 'l' will always determine the spelling.

Showing examples of incorrect use of 'el' and 'le' alongside the correct use can be very useful for children to spot the correct spelling.

Suffix - a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning
Root word - the base word from which other words are formed often by adding prefixes or suffixes
Polysyllabic - describes a word that has more than one syllable