Spelling list: Change f to v when adding s

In this list, we will explore an important spelling rule in English: when adding an s to words that end with a single f, we change the f to ve. This change is crucial for forming plurals correctly. Understanding this rule will help you improve your spelling skills and make your writing clearer.

For example, consider the word half. When we want to talk about two halves, we change the f to v to create halves. This pattern can be seen in other pairs of words, such as leaf and leaves, as well as loaf and loaves. Learning this spelling pattern will make it easier to use these words correctly in your writing.

half	Noah ate half the cake. *
halves	Both halves of the game were exciting.
leaf	The leaf fell from the tree.
leaves	The leaves are turning red and brown.
loaf	I love the smell of a freshly baked loaf. *
loaves	I baked six loaves yesterday.
knife	The knife is made of stainless steel.
knives	Fishermen's knives need to be very sharp.
life	It was the happiest day of my life.
lives	A cat is said to have nine lives. *
shelf	The higher shelf is out of my reach.
shelves	We need four new shelves for the books.
thief	A thief seized my mother's purse.
thieves	The thieves took the television and the computer. *
wife	He gave his wife a gold brooch.
wives	King Henry VIII had six wives.
wolf	The hikers heard a wolf howling in the night.
wolves	We could hear the wolves howling.
yourself	Be careful not to burn yourself on the candle.
yourselves	You need to work it out yourselves.