Spellings week beginning

Spellings – ‘ence’ and ‘ance’

These two endings are both used to make nouns from verbs (e.g. performance from perform) or nouns from adjectives (e.g. intelligence from intelligent).

Words ending in ‘ance’

• If the word is formed from a verb that ends in –y, –ure, or –ear, then the ending will be spelled –ance. For example: alliance (from ally), endurance (from endure), or appearance (from appear)

• If the main part of the word (i.e. the bit before the ending) ends in a ‘hard’ c (pronounced like the c in cab) or a ‘hard’ g (pronounced like the g in game), then the ending will be spelled –ance. For example: elegance or significance.

• If the noun is related to a verb ending in –ate, then the ending is likely to be -ance, e.g. tolerance (from tolerate)

Words ending in ‘ence’

If the word is formed from a verb ending in –ere, then the ending will be spelled –ence. For example: reverence (from revere), adherence (from adhere), or coherence (from cohere).

Note that the word perseverance is an exception to this rule!

If the word has ‘vid’, ‘cid’ and ‘fid’ in it, then the suffix is ence. E.g evidence, coincidence, confidence

If the main part of the word ends in a soft c (pronounced like the c in cell) or a soft g (pronounced like the g in gin), then the ending will be –ence. For example: adolescence or emergence.

Note that the word vengeance is an exception to this rule!

Words to learn

circumstance                    adolescence

guidance                          convenience

resemblance                     recurrence

nuisance                           coherence

appearance                       emergence

tolerance                         insistence

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