Spelling list: Change y to i

In this section, we will look at an important spelling rule for words that end in a consonant followed by y. When you add a suffix to these words, you should change the y to i, unless the suffix starts with an i.

Knowing when to change y to i will improve your spelling. For instance, the word happy changes to happiest when you add -est. You will also change study to studies and beauty to beautiful using this rule.

By learning this rule, you will feel more confident in your spelling. As you go through the examples, you will see how these changes work with different words, helping you understand this key part of English spelling.

dry	I dry my hair with a towel. *
dried	A dried plum is called a prune.
happy	The child was very happy. *
happiest	It was the happiest day of my life.
reply	I need a reply by the weekend.
replied	Have you replied to that email?
fly	I love to fly my kite. *
flies	He flies in the aeroplane to Spain. *
nasty	A bully is a nasty person.
nastiness	The nastiness of some players spoiled the game.
pony	Did you have a ride on the black pony ? *
ponies	Rosie loves to ride ponies. *
study	You will need to study hard to become a doctor.
studies	A zoologist studies animals.
beauty	She loved watching beauty tutorials online.
beautiful	There's a beautiful view from my balcony.