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Year 2 - y to ies
Why does the 'Y' disappear in words ending with 'Y'?

Year 2 - y to ies

Some Year 2 words change when you add -es. If a word ends in a consonant + y, the y often changes to i before adding -es.

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Fascinating Fact:

“Lady” becomes “ladies”. The y changes to i and then you add -es.

In KS1 English Spelling, Year 2 pupils learn how to make some words plural. When a word ends in a consonant then y, the spelling often changes to -ies. This helps children spell everyday plurals correctly in their writing.

  • Plural: More than one of something, like two babies.
  • Consonant: A letter that is not a, e, i, o or u.
  • Root word: The original word before you change it, like baby.
When do you change y to ies in Year 2 spelling?

You usually change y to ies when a word ends in a consonant + y and you are making it plural, for example baby becomes babies.

Do you always change y to i when adding s or es?

No. If a word ends with a vowel + y, you usually just add -s, for example toy becomes toys and day becomes days.

What are some examples of y to ies words for Year 2?

Examples include baby to babies, city to cities, party to parties, and lady to ladies.

1 .
All the ____ joined together to fight the alien invasion!
arrmies
arrmeys
armies
armieys
An army is created to protect the country they live in and sometimes to protect other countries.
2 .
I would like three ____ for my birthday party.
gellies
jellies
jelies
gelies
What is your favourite jelly flavour?
3 .
Before he ____ he has to send ____ to his boss' invitations.
fllies and replies
flies and reeplies
flies and replies
flys and replies
The word 'flies' can refer to the insect or the act of flying.
4 .
She had kept all her ____.
diries
dighries
daires
diaries
You need to be able to spell the word 'diary' then make it a plural. Make sure you don't write 'dairy'!
5 .
She is taking ____ for you.
coppies
copies
copyies
coppyes
The machine in the picture is called a photocopier.
6 .
We say one baby and two ____.
babbies
babies
baybies
babeys
The word baby changes by taking away the 'y' and replacing it with an 'i' then adding 'es'.
7 .
A country has many ____ but only one capital ____.
citties and citty
scities and scity
sities and sity
cities and city
The capital city of France is Paris.
8 .
He ____ to stay awake but she ____ him to bed.
trries and carries
tries and carries
tries and caries
trries and caries
Trying to stay awake will just make you more tired!
9 .
The ____ danced along the bridge as they returned from a day of magic and fun.
fairies
faries
fayries
fearies
If you remember how to spell fairy, you just take the 'y' away and add 'ies'.
10 .
She went to two ____ on New Year's Eve!
partieys
parteys
partties
parties
New Year's Eve is the time of the year where most people celebrate and hold parties.
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Spelling

Author:  Finola Waller (MEd, Primary School Teacher & KS1 English Quiz Writer)

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