Printable Adding Endings Worksheets
Printable adding endings worksheets for 2nd through 4th grade, with an answer key on every sheet. The sets below cover 3 different skills, so you can start where your child actually is. Available as fill in the blank.
Targeted Practice by Skill
About Adding Endings
What this skill is
Adding endings instruction covers spelling rules for attaching inflectional and derivational suffixes (-ing, -ed, -er, -est, -able) to base words. Core rules include dropping silent-e before vowel suffixes (make -> making), doubling final consonant in 1-1-1 CVC words (hop -> hopping), and changing consonant-y to i (happy -> happiest). Mastering suffix rules prevents common spelling errors in written work, dictations, proofreading drills, and editing assignments.
When children learn it
Basic suffix addition (-ed, -ing) with e-drop and consonant doubling begins in 2nd grade. In 3rd grade and 4th grade, students apply y-to-i rules and multi-syllable accent rules across spelling units, dictations, proofreading drills, writing lessons, spelling practice, and morphology workshops.
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting to double the final consonant on short vowel CVC words, writing 'hoping' for hopping or 'runing' for running.
- Keeping silent-e when adding vowel suffixes, incorrectly writing 'makeing' instead of 'making' on spelling lines.
- Doubling consonants on long vowel words (like writing 'peeking' as 'peekking'), failing to check for single short vowels.