Spelling Rules and Patterns

Good spelling is essential for the CEM 11+ exam. While CEM papers are mostly multiple-choice, spelling is tested through choosing the correctly spelled word, spotting spelling errors, and cloze passages where you must recognise the right form of a word. This lesson covers the key spelling rules and patterns that will help you get these marks.

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Rule 1: "i Before e, Except After c"

This is one of the most famous spelling rules:

• i before e when the sound is "ee": believe, achieve, field, chief, thief
• except after c: receive, ceiling, deceive, receipt, conceive

Exceptions to know: weird, seize, protein, species, neither, either

Follows the rule	Exception
Believe	Weird
Receive	Seize
Achieve	Protein
Ceiling	Species

CEM Tip: The exam may show you four spellings of a word and ask you to choose the correct one. Knowing this rule helps you eliminate wrong options quickly.

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Rule 2: Dropping the Silent "e"

When adding a suffix that begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), you usually drop the silent e: