Year 1 English · Key Stage 1 · Spelling – English Appendix 1

Year 1 spelling: ff, ll, ss, zz, ck, tch, nk and -ve

This group of Year 1 spelling patterns covers how common sounds are written at the end of short words. The sounds f, l, s, z and k are usually written ff, ll, ss, zz and ck after a short vowel, as in off, well, miss, buzz and back. Children also learn n before k in words like bank, the tch spelling in catch, why English words end in -ve rather than v, and how to divide words into syllables.

ff, ll, ss, zz, ck, tch, nk, ve, explained

The first pattern is about the end of short words. When the sound f, l, s, z or k comes straight after a single short vowel, it is usually written with a double letter: off, well, miss, buzz, and ck for the k sound in back. The ck is a digraph, two letters standing for one sound. Teachers present this as a pattern with a handful of exceptions, not a law: if, pal, us, bus and yes have a single letter at the end. Children learn the exceptions as “rule breakers” to remember on sight.

In words like bank and think, the sound we hear before the k is not really an n sound at all. It is the ng sound, as in sing, produced at the back of the mouth. But it is written with an n, so the spelling is n followed by k. Children are taught to write the letters n and k in words such as bank, sink and think, even though they may hear “bangk”.

When the ch sound comes straight after a single short vowel, it is usually spelt tch, as in catch and fetch at the end of a word, and kitchen at the end of the first syllable. Teachers point out the exceptions: rich, which, much and such. When the vowel sound before it is long or there is a consonant before it, the spelling is just ch, as in teach or lunch, and children meet these in their reading.

English words hardly ever end in the letter v, so when the sound v comes at the end of a word an e is added: have, live (as in “we live here”), give. In these words the e is not changing the vowel sound to a long one: have does not sound like gave, and give does not sound like hive. In gave and hive the e is part of a split digraph, but in have and give it is there only because English words do not end in v. Children simply learn that a v at the end of a word is followed by an e.

Finally, children learn to divide words into syllables, the beats of a word. Clapping or tapping once for each beat shows that pocket has two syllables (pock-et), rabbit has two (rab-bit) and kitchen has two (kitch-en). Every syllable has a vowel sound. Splitting a word into beats makes a long word feel like two or three short ones, which makes both reading and spelling more manageable.

Words your child will hear

Syllable: A beat in a word. Each syllable has a vowel sound, so “pocket” has two and “rabbit” has two.
Short vowel: The quick vowel sound heard in cat, pen, sit, hop and cup.
Consonant: Any letter that is not a, e, i, o or u, such as f, l, s, z, k or t.
Digraph: Two letters that make one sound. In this topic ck is a digraph for the k sound.
Exception: A word that does not follow the pattern, such as bus or rich. Exceptions have to be learned individually.
Double letters: The same letter written twice in a row, as in ff, ll, ss and zz.

What the National Curriculum says

In Year 1, pupils should be taught to:

Spell the sounds /f/, /l/, /s/, /z/ and /k/ as ff, ll, ss, zz and ck
Spell the /ŋ/ sound as n before k
Divide words into syllables
Spell words ending in –tch
Spell the /v/ sound at the end of words

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: spelling “kitchen”

Your child hears the word “kitchen” and has to spell it. How can they work it out using what they know?

Clap the syllables: kitch-en. There are two beats, so your child can write one syllable at a time instead of the whole word at once.
Start with the first sound, k. The sound k before the letter i is usually written with a k, not a c, so the word begins ki-.
Listen to the ch sound after the short i. It comes straight after a single short vowel, so it is spelt tch, not just ch. Compare with the word “catch”, which follows the same pattern. The first syllable is k-i-tch.
Add the second syllable, en, to complete the word. Read it back by sounding each syllable: kitch, en, kitchen. Check that the tch is there and nothing is missing.

kitchen (kitch + en)

Common mistakes and how to help

Writing a single letter at the end of short words, such as “bak”, “bel”, “mis” or “buz”

The sound is only one sound, so children write one letter. They may not have noticed that the sound at the end of short words is usually written with two letters.

What helps: Collect words that follow the pattern, such as back, pack and sock, and show how the ck sits straight after a short vowel. Let your child spot the pattern in the books you read together.

Over-using double letters, such as “buss” for bus or “yess” for yes

Once children learn the pattern, they apply it everywhere, which shows they have understood it. But a few common words are exceptions.

What helps: Praise the thinking, then show that if, pal, us, bus and yes are rule breakers. A small list kept in a visible place lets your child check them.

Spelling the end of catch and fetch as “cach” and “fech”, or the opposite in rich and which

The ch and tch endings sound identical. Only the sound before them, and a short list of exceptions, tell them apart.

What helps: Ask whether a short, quick vowel sound comes straight before it. If so, it is usually tch. If there is a long vowel or another consonant first, as in teach or bench, it is ch. Learn the four exceptions, rich, which, much and such, as a group.

Writing “thingk” or “bangk” for think and bank, or “hav” and “giv” for have and give

Children write what they hear. The ng sound before k is written with an n, and English words hardly ever end in v, but neither fact is obvious from the sound.

What helps: Show these as patterns to remember, not sounds to work out. Say the word with the letters, for example “b-a-n-k”, tapping the n and the k separately.

How to help at home

Hunt for the pattern. Choose a favourite book and look for words ending in ff, ll, ss, zz or ck. Your child can point to each one and read it out. You will probably find more than you expect.
Clap the beats. Clap the syllables in names, foods and everyday words: Ben-ja-min, ba-na-na, pock-et. Then ask your child how many claps a word has. Doing it before writing helps them split a longer word into pieces.
Keep a rule-breaker list. Write if, pal, us, bus and yes on a card and stick it where your child can see it. Add have, live and give on another. Read them aloud together now and then.
Build rhyme families. Ask for as many rhyming words as your child can make with a pattern, such as back, pack, sack, black or catch, match, patch, scratch. Write them in a list so the matching endings are easy to see.
Spell it big. Write words with chalk on the garden path or patio, or with a finger in a tray of flour or salt. Big, slow movements help children remember the pattern, and washing it away afterwards is half the fun.

Leads on to

Year 2: Soft c, soft g, kn, gn and wr
Year 2: Endings -le, -el, -al, -il and -y
Year 2: Changing y, dropping e, doubling
Year 2: a before l, o, -ey and s spellings
Year 2: Spellings after w and qu
Year 2: Suffixes -ment, -ness, -ful, -less, -ly
Year 2: Contractions and apostrophes
Year 2: Homophones and tricky words