Unit 25 - Spelling the schwa ending: er, ar, or, our, re, a

In Unit 24, we learned about the schwa sound.

These letter patterns can be used to spell clear vowel sounds:


eras in person	ar as in shark	or as in fork

They can also be used to spell the schwa sound at the end of a word:


er as in computer	or as in monitor	ar as in calendar

There is no one way to be certain about which spelling to use for the schwa sound, but here are some tips:

1. A rule:
If the word is a comparative (an adjective meaning 'more'), always use -er :

big - bigger

fast - faster

sweet - sweeter

noisy - noisier

2. A guide:
The -or ending often follows ct, it, at, rr, or ess :

actor

visitor

dictator

terror

successor

3. A guide:
The -ar ending often follows l:

collar

regular

particular

similar

4. A guide:
er is most common way of spelling schwa, then -or, then -ar.

Please turn your screen to landscape to play this game.

The Spellzone interactive course is intended to be used online and may not be printed.