Tiffin Girls & HBS
Spelling & Vocabulary Guide

Double consonants · Silent letters · Suffixes · High-level vocabulary · Practice tests

Double Consonants & Silent Letters 9 words
accommodation
Double c after the a, double m in the middle. Think: ac·com·mo·da·tion
Double consonant
embarrassment
Double r AND double s. Remember: it's really, really embarrassing to get it wrong!
Double consonant
occurrence
Double c, double r, ends in -ence (not -ance). Think: it oc·cur·rence·ly trips people up!
Double consonant
privilege
No d! Often wrongly spelled as priviledge. Ends in -ege. Say it: priv·i·lege
Common trap
conscientious
Contains the word science inside it. Silent sc. Spot it: con·sci·en·tious
Silent letter
hierarchy
Begins with h-i-e-r. Remember: the hierarchy starts from the top. Contains arch (like architect).
Vowel order
subtle
The b is completely silent. Think: it's so subtle, even the letter hides! su·tle (said this way)
Silent letter
sovereignty
Silent g. Follows e-i pattern. Sounds like: sov·rin·tee. The g is hiding between the i and n.
Silent letter
bureaucracy
Tricky eau vowel cluster (like the French word beau). Break it: bu·reau·cra·cy
Vowel cluster
Suffix Traps: -able/-ible and -ance/-ence 7 words
indispensable
Ends in -able (not -ible). If you can add the root to dispense, use -able.
-able suffix
plausible
Ends in -ible. The root plaus is not a standalone English word → use -ible.
-ible suffix
perseverance
Ends in -ance. Think: you need perseverance to remember the a!
-ance suffix
maintenance
Comes from maintain but shifts: main·ten·ance. The ten in the middle trips people up.
-ance suffix
irresistible
Ends in -ible. Remember: it's irresistible to use the wrong ending — but don't!
-ible suffix
noticeable
Keeps the e after c to keep the c sounding soft. Without it: noticable would sound wrong.
-able suffix
admissible
Ends in -ible. The root ends in -ss — that pattern usually takes -ible.
-ible suffix
Vowel Order & Exception Rules 6 words
mischievous
Three syllables: mis·chiev·ous. No extra i after the v. Not mischievious!
Syllable trap
receipt
i before e EXCEPT after c — here we have c, so it's e·i. Plus a silent p!
ei after c
foreign
Exception to the i before e rule — here it's ei even though there's no c. Just memorise it!
ei exception
grievance
Uses the i-e vowel order. Grieve + -ance. Think: I grieve about this spelling!
ie vowel order
guarantee
Begins g-u-a, ends with double e. Remember: I guarantee you'll need to memorise this!
gua- start
gauge
Spelled a-u (not guage). Think: the au is like the sound in "haul" — it measures things.
au vowel pair

All 9 high-level vocabulary words — definition and spelling trap shown for each.

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📌 The "i before e" Rule — and its exceptions

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Rule: Write i before e except after c when it makes the "ee" sound. Examples: believe, achieve, receive, deceit.
Exception 1 — foreign: foreign has ei but no c before it. Just memorise it.
Exception 2 — weird, height, their: These all break the rule. Learn them individually.
Receipt: After c → use ei. Then the p is silent. So: r-e-c-e-i-p-t.

📌 -able vs -ible — how to choose

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Use -able when you can add it to a complete English word: notice → noticeable, understand → understandable, dispense → indispensable.
Use -ible when the root is not a full English word: poss → possible, horr → horrible, admiss → admissible.
Keep the e when the word ends in -ce or -ge before adding -able: notice → noticeable, change → changeable. (Keeps the soft sound.)

📌 -ance vs -ence — how to choose

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-ance is often linked to verbs ending in -y or -ate: persevere → perseverance, tolerate → tolerance.
-ence is often linked to verbs ending in -ere or -er: refer → reference, occur → occurrence.
Trick: Say the word aloud. If you hear an a vowel sound → -ance. If you hear an e → -ence. This doesn't always work but helps with the common ones.

📌 Silent letter patterns to learn

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Silent b: after m or before t → lamb, climb, doubt, subtle, debt.
Silent g: before n at the start or end → gnome, sign, sovereign, campaign.
Silent sc: in science words → science, conscience, conscientious. The sc is there but you only hear the sh sound.
Silent p: at the start of Greek-root words → psychology, pneumonia, and in the middle of receipt.

📌 High-level vocabulary word families

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-ous family (adjectives): meticulous, precarious, magnenimous, ambiguous, audacious. All mean "having the quality of". Spot the -ous ending.
-ent family: benevolent, eloquent. Use -ent not -ant for these — remember benevolent ends in -ent.
Greek/Latin roots: ephemeral (Greek ephemeros = lasting a day), scrutinize (Latin scrutinium = examination), magnanimous (Latin magnus = great + animus = soul).