English Spelling & Word Studyusually ages 9–10

Spelling -able & -ible

Spell words ending in -able/-ible and the corresponding adverb forms -ably/-ibly, applying patterns to determine which suffix to use based on the root word

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Apply the guideline that -able is typically used with complete root words (enjoyable, comfortable) while -ible is used with incomplete roots (visible, possible), noting key exceptions
Convert -able/-ible adjectives into adverbs by changing the ending to -ably/-ibly, e.g. comfortable → comfortably, possible → possibly, terrible → terribly
Determine whether to drop or retain the final -e of the root when adding -able, e.g. adorable (drop e) vs changeable (keep e before soft g)

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Try this together

When your child needs to spell a word ending in "-able" or "-ible" — like "comfortable" or "visible" — can they choose the right ending and spell it correctly?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Suffixes (age 7+)ages 7–9The -able/-ible and -ably/-ibly patterns build directly on suffix knowledge from the Y3-4 programme

Spelling -able & -iblethis skill · ages 9–10

Unlocks

Nothing on the map depends on this yet.

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 2 NSW · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

This skill sits outside the F–6 Australian Curriculum — no candidate code matched (v0.1).

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

EN3-SPELL-01low confidenceEnglish K-10 · Stage 3

EN2-SPELL-01low confidenceEnglish K-10 · Stage 2

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2E5LY05low confidenceEnglish · Level 5 · Literacy strand

VC2E3LY05low confidenceEnglish · Level 3 · Literacy strand

VC2E5LY04low confidenceEnglish · Level 5 · Literacy strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Advanced Spelling Conventionsages 9–10 Homophones (age 9+)ages 9–10 Silent Letters in Wordsages 9–10 Spelling Word Lists (age 9+)ages 9–10

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