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Year 2 English · Key Stage 1 · Spelling – English Appendix 1

Year 2 spelling: word endings -le, -el, -al, -il and -y

Many words end in a weak l sound that can be spelt in four different ways: table, camel, metal and pencil. Year 2 children learn which endings are common and which letters help them choose. They also learn that the long i sound at the end of a word such as cry or fly is spelt with a y. Each one is a pattern to notice and remember, because the sounds alone don’t give the answer.

Endings -le, -el, -al, -il and -y, explained

The ends of words like table, camel, metal and pencil all sound much the same when we speak: a short, soft “ul”. This is the problem for spelling, because the ear can’t tell which of four endings is needed. Year 2 teaching is about giving children clues. The ending -le is by far the most common spelling, so it is the best first guess: table, apple, little, bottle. The vowel sound in the ending is weak and hard to hear, so children have to remember which letters are there.

The ending -el is much less common, but it has a useful pattern. It is used after the letters m, n, r, v and w, and more often than not after s: camel, tunnel, squirrel, travel, towel and tinsel. So if a child is spelling a word that ends in the l sound and the letter before it is one of those, -el is a good bet. This is guidance rather than a law, and -el also turns up after other letters, as in hotel and angel, but it is a reliable help at this stage. Do not expect them to recite the six letters; looking at word lists together and noticing the pattern is enough.

The ending -al is found in a lot of words that describe something, such as musical, magical and national, and in some everyday nouns such as metal, animal and hospital. The ending -il is rare, and children learn only a handful of words: pencil, fossil, nostril and the month April. Because there are so few, these words can simply be learned by sight and shared with the family.

The last part of the topic is the long i sound at the end of a word, as in cry, fly, dry and try. These are spelt with a y, not an i. English doesn’t usually end a word with the letter i, so children learn y as the standard spelling. Longer words that end in this sound, such as July and reply, use y too. A few short words use ie instead, such as pie and tie, which children have met before. As in Year 1, teachers expect children to use what they have learned about sounds, but also to stop, look at a word and ask “does that look right?”

Words your child will hear

Ending
The last letters of a word. In table the ending is -le.
Syllable
A beat in a word. Table has two syllables: ta-ble.
Adjective
A describing word. Many adjectives end in -al, such as musical or magical.
Noun
A naming word, such as camel, tunnel, pencil or metal.
Pattern
A spelling that turns up in many words, such as -el after m, n, r, s, v and w.
Exception
A word that doesn’t follow the usual pattern and has to be learned separately.

What the National Curriculum says

In Year 2, pupils should be taught to:

  • Spell the /l/ or /əl/ sound as –le at the end of words
  • Spell the /l/ or /əl/ sound as –el at the end of words
  • Spell the /l/ or /əl/ sound as –al at the end of words
  • Spell words ending –il
  • Spell the /aɪ/ sound as –y at the end of words

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

Try it: choosing the ending

Choose the right ending for each word: tab__, cam__, hospit__, penc__ and fl__ (the long i sound).

  1. Say each word clearly and listen to the end. The first four all finish with the same weak l sound, so we can’t decide by listening and must use a clue.
  2. Tab__: the letter before the ending is b, which is not on the list of letters for -el. -le is the most common ending, so it is the best guess: table. Looking at it, it seems right, and it matches apple and bottle.
  3. Cam__: the letter before the ending is m. M is one of the letters that is usually followed by -el rather than -le, so the word is camel. Tunnel and towel work the same way, after n and w.
  4. Hospit__: the letter before the ending is t, so the first guess would be -le, as in little and bottle. But hospital is one of the words that has to be learned: it ends in -al, like metal and animal. If your child writes “hospitle”, that is a sensible guess, and a sign this word needs learning by sight.
  5. Penc__ is one of the handful of -il words, with fossil and nostril, so we spell it pencil. For the last word, fl__ ends in the long i sound, which is nearly always y at the end of a word: fly.

table, camel, hospital, pencil, fly

Common mistakes and how to help

Choosing the wrong ending: “tabel”, “camle” or “pencle”

All four endings sound identical, so children guess, or pick a favourite and use it everywhere. They can’t hear the difference, so it isn’t carelessness.

What helps: Ask them to try the common spelling first (-le), then look at it. Keep short word lists for each ending so that they get used to the look of each one.

Spelling the ending with just an l: “tabl”, “metl”

Children write the sounds they can hear, and the vowel in the ending is so quiet that it can’t be heard at all.

What helps: Remind them that every syllable needs a vowel. Clap the beats in the word and check that each one has a vowel in it.

Spelling a long i sound at the end of a word with i: “fli”, “cri”

The letter i can say the long i sound in the middle of words such as find and mind, so it is a natural guess.

What helps: Explain that English words don’t usually end in i, so y does the job. Write a list of y words: my, by, cry, dry, fly, sky, try.

Thinking -el can only come after m, n, r, s, v or w

Teachers present the guidance as a pattern, and children remember it as a rule. A few words, such as hotel and angel, use -el after other letters.

What helps: Describe it as a clue, not a promise. Always read the word back and ask “does it look right?”

How to help at home

  • Ending sort. Write words on cards, such as table, apple, camel, tunnel, metal, animal, pencil and fossil, with the endings missing. Your child sorts them into four piles and then adds the ending.
  • Spot the ending on a walk. Look for words with these endings on shop signs, packaging and in books: hospital, hotel, pencil, towel, bottle. Ask which ending each one uses and what letter comes before it.
  • Rhyme with y. Make up a silly rhyme using the y words cry, fly, dry, try, sky and why. Rhyming words give a pattern the ear can enjoy while the eye sees the same ending each time.
  • Little and often. Pick two words a day to look at, cover, write and check. Short sessions of a few minutes work better than a long one, and a child who feels successful remembers more.

Related topics

Builds on

Leads on to

More on spelling – English Appendix 1

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