Spelling Patterns — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The dog was wagging its tail happily when we came home. (wag → double g + -ing)
"Wag" is a short-vowel word ending in one consonant, so you double the g before adding -ing to keep the short a sound in "wagging."
2. We watched the clouds float across the sky on a windy day. (consonant blend cl-)
"Clouds" starts with the consonant blend cl-, where the c and l sounds blend together, and uses the ou vowel team for the "ow" sound.
3. The cat climbed onto the highest shelf in the room. (climb → past tense with silent b)
"Climbed" keeps the silent b from the base word "climb" and just adds -ed, so you write the b even though you never hear it.
4. The children were swimming in the pool all afternoon. (swim → double m + -ing)
"Swim" ends with one consonant after a short vowel, so you double the m before adding -ing to get "swimming" and keep the short i sound.
5. Dad used a wrench to fix the broken fence. (silent w word: wr-)
"Wrench" follows the wr- silent letter pattern, where the w is written but only the r sound is heard at the start of the word.
6. The thunder outside the window kept us awake at night. (vowel team un word: th-)
"Thunder" begins with the consonant digraph th- and uses the short u sound in the middle, describing the loud booming noise during a storm.
7. She knocked the door before anyone could answer. (knock → past tense, silent k)
"Knocked" keeps the silent k from "knock" and adds -ed for past tense, so the k is still written even though only the n sound is heard.
8. He was slipping when he tripped over the step. (slip → double p + -ing)
"Slip" has a short vowel followed by one consonant, so you double the p before adding -ing to spell "slipping" correctly.
9. The loaf of bread smelled wonderful from the kitchen. (vowel team oa word)
"Loaf" uses the vowel team oa, where the o says its long sound and the a is silent, just like in "boat" and "coat."
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each word with its correct double-consonant spelling.
begin + -ing
→ beginning
planning
bat + -ed
→ batted
shopped
plan + -ing
→ planning
beginning
shop + -ed
→ shopped
batted
Correct matches: begin + -ing → beginning; bat + -ed → batted; plan + -ing → planning; shop + -ed → shopped.