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Years 3 and 4 English · Key Stage 2 · Spelling – English Appendix 1

Years 3 and 4 spelling: prefixes and tricky vowel sounds

In Years 3 and 4, children learn to spell words with a wider set of prefixes, such as dis–, mis–, in–, re–, sub–, inter–, super–, anti– and auto–. They also learn two spellings that don’t follow the usual sound-to-letter pattern: the short i sound spelled with a y in the middle of words such as myth and gym, and the short u sound spelled ou in words such as young and touch.

Prefixes, y and ou spellings, explained

A prefix is a group of letters added to the front of a word to change its meaning. The word it joins is the root word, and the spelling of the root doesn’t change. Knowing the meaning of the prefix helps children read and spell tricky words as well: dis– and mis– give a negative or wrong sense (disagree, misbehave), re– means again or back (redo, return), sub– means under (submarine), inter– means between or among (international), super– means above (supermarket), anti– means against (antiseptic) and auto– means self or own (autograph).

The prefix in– usually means not, but it changes its spelling to match the first letter of the root. Before l it becomes il– (illegal), before m or p it becomes im– (immature, impossible), and before r it becomes ir– (irregular). Otherwise it stays in– (incorrect, inactive). This is why some words suddenly have double letters, such as illegal and irregular: the double letter is just the end of the prefix meeting the start of the root. In impossible the m is single, and the double letter is the ss in the root.

Double letters also cause trouble with dis– and mis–. Disappear is dis plus appear, so it has one s and two p’s. Dissatisfied and misspell have two s’s, because the root begins with s. The best help is to split the word into prefix and root, check the root alone, and then put the two parts together without changing either.

The short i sound, written /ɪ/, is normally spelled with an i, as in pin. In a group of words, mostly from Greek, it is spelled with a y: myth, gym, Egypt, pyramid. Others include mystery, system, crystal and symbol. The short u sound, written /ʌ/, is the vowel in cup. Usually it is spelled u (cup) or o (son), but a small group use ou: young, touch, double, trouble, country, cousin and couple. There is no rule that predicts these, so children learn them as groups of words.

Your child will meet these in spelling lists, word sorts and short games, and in dictionary work, where knowing a word has a prefix helps to guess a meaning. The national guidance gives examples of each pattern, and schools choose the words they teach and the order of the lessons, so the lists your child brings home may differ from those of a neighbouring school.

Words your child will hear

Prefix
A group of letters added to the front of a word to change its meaning, such as dis– in disappear.
Root word
The word you start with before adding a prefix. Appear is the root of disappear.
Opposite
A word with the reverse meaning. Many prefixes, such as in– and dis–, are used to make opposites.
Vowel sound
The sound at the heart of a syllable, such as the short i in pin or the short u in cup. A vowel sound can be spelled in several ways.
Syllable
A beat in a word. Pyramid has three syllables: pyr-a-mid.
Double letter
Two of the same letter side by side, as in illegal or irregular, often made where a prefix meets a root.

What the National Curriculum says

In Years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to:

  • Spell the /ɪ/ sound as y elsewhere than at the end of words
  • Spell the /ʌ/ sound as ou
  • Spell words with more prefixes

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

Try it: building and spelling words

Add a prefix to make the opposite of possible, legal and regular. Then add dis– to appear. Finally, spell the word that means the opposite of old and sounds like “yung”.

  1. Decide the meaning: all three opposites mean “not”, so the prefix is a form of in–. It changes to match the first letter of the root.
  2. Possible begins with p, so in– becomes im–. Write the prefix and the root together without changing either: impossible. Note that there is only one m and the double letter is ss.
  3. Legal begins with l, so in– becomes il–: illegal. The two l’s come from the prefix meeting the root.
  4. Regular begins with r, so in– becomes ir–: irregular. Now there are two r’s together, one from each part.
  5. Dis– plus appear: write both parts without changing either. That gives disappear, with one s and two p’s. A common slip is dissappear, which has two s’s.
  6. The short u sound in young is spelled ou. It is one of a family: young, touch, double, trouble, country, cousin and couple. Say the family aloud and picture the o and u together.

impossible, illegal, irregular, disappear, young

Common mistakes and how to help

Doubling the s in disappear or disappoint: dissapear, dissapoint

Children hear dis– run straight into the root and assume a double letter, as in dissatisfied. But the root of disappear is appear, which begins with a, so only one s is needed.

What helps: Split the word: dis + appear. Spell the root on its own, spell the prefix on its own, then join them. If the root starts with s, as in satisfied, the s doubles.

Using in– unchanged: inpossible, inlegal, inregular

Children know in– means not and add it to any root. They may not hear the change in how the words are said.

What helps: Say the words aloud. It is easier to say impossible than inpossible. The prefix changes to il–, im– or ir– to match the first letter of the root: l, m or p, and r.

Spelling the short i sound with an i in words like myth, gym or pyramid: mith, jim, pirimid

In most words the short i sound is written with an i, and children trust the sound, which is perfectly reasonable. These words are among the exceptions.

What helps: Group the words into a silly sentence, such as “The mysterious gym in Egypt had a crystal pyramid”. Learning them together is easier than learning them one at a time.

Spelling the short u sound as u in words like young, touch or double: yung, tuch, dubble

Phonically, a u makes perfect sense, so the child writes what they hear. The ou spelling is an exception that has to be remembered.

What helps: Make a family list and say a sentence containing several: “My young cousin is double trouble in the country.” Look, say, cover, write and check three at a time.

How to help at home

  • Prefix cards. Write prefixes (dis, mis, re, sub, inter, super, anti, auto) on one set of cards and root words on another. Match them to make real words, and talk about what each prefix does to the meaning.
  • Prefix hunt. At home or in a shop, look for words with a prefix: supermarket, international, antibacterial, automatic. Say each aloud, split it into prefix and root, and guess the meaning from the parts.
  • Opposite pairs. Say a word such as possible, and ask your child to give the opposite, then spell it. Try legal, regular, patient, agree, behave and correct, and listen for how in– changes.
  • Silly sentences for tricky sounds. Invent a sentence that holds several words from one pattern, such as myth, gym, Egypt and pyramid, or young, touch, double and trouble. The sillier the better, because that helps them stick.
  • Spot the odd one out. Write three versions of a word, only one of which is right (disappear, dissapear, disapear). Ask your child to choose and explain, splitting the word into prefix and root.

Related topics

Builds on

Leads on to

More on spelling – English Appendix 1

Everything in Years 3 and 4 English

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