We can add the letter 'y' to many words to make new words.
smell / smelly
Sometimes we simply add the 'y', but for some words we need to change the ending of the word first.
If the word ends in 'e' we drop the 'e' before we add the 'y'.
mouse / mousy Your browser does not support the audio element.
If a noun has a short vowel sound just before the last letter we double the last letter before we add the 'y'.
cat / catty Your browser does not support the audio element.
If there are two consonants (letters that are not vowels) after the short vowel we don't need to double the last letter.
sand / sandy
If the vowel sound is long we don't double the last letter either.
cheek / cheeky
View the activity introduction for more information on the topic
Read the question aloud
Open the accessibility toolbar to change fonts and contrast, choose a different language, use a ruler and more
Question
Do you want to skip questions and finish?
Hold up, it looks like there may be an issue with your spelling. Why not try it again?
You need to check your answer before you proceed. Are you sure you want to skip?
Teacher explanation