If you work with students on closed syllable spelling rules in Wilson Steps 1 and 2 (or in the early lessons of any Orton Gillingham-based program), you may already know that reading and spelling do not always develop at the same pace. Some students decode with confidence but fall apart the moment they pick up a pencil.
When spelling is your student’s primary challenge, the reading portion of the lesson can sometimes feel pointless. However, this doesn’t mean that we can skip the reading portion. Tying spelling rules into students’ reading instruction reinforces the concepts they’re currently learning. Use the reading portion of your lesson as an opportunity to review the details of the spelling rules in a low-stress situation. Because reading is an area of strength, your struggling spellers will likely feel more relaxed and confident during the reading portion of the lesson, so this is when meaningful learning and discussions can take place.
Before we dive in, a quick note on language. You’ll notice I use the word “rules” throughout this post, but “generalizations” is actually the more accurate term. True rules don’t have exceptions. The patterns we teach in structured literacy work most of the time, but you and your students will encounter rule-breakers along the way. I use “rules” here for simplicity, but when exceptions come up in your lessons, they’re a good opportunity to remind students that we call these generalizations for a reason.
I am a certified Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner. This blog reflects my own instructional experience and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wilson Language Training.
Closed Syllable Spelling Rules: Ways to Spell the /k/ Sound
The Question: Do I use c or k at the beginning of a word?
The Rule: K takes i and e. C takes the other three.
- Wilson Substep: 1.3
- UFLI Lessons: 14, 22
Note: C and k are introduced in Substep 1.2, also. However, I often wait until 1.3 to address the c/k rule. Students who start in 1.1 need to focus on developing good habits and basic skills. Once they can fluently read and spell CVC words that don’t require consideration of spelling rules, then I will teach this concept.
The majority of CVC words and closed syllable words with blends that you encounter will follow the rule, “K takes i and e. C takes the other three.” Consider the following words:
- cat, cop, cup, cash, cut, call, cuff, cast
- kin, kid, kit, kiss, kept, kind
This rule is a strong foundation that students will refer back to when they learn more challenging vowel spellings and multisyllabic words:
- cape, came, code, coal, cute, cue, camel
- keep, kite, key, kitten, kingdom
The rule also helps students choose between c or k when spelling words with blends. Notice how the same rule applies even in these words with initial blends:
- scar, scab, scum, scold, score
- skin, skim, sketch, skid, ski, skeleton
As with most spelling rules, there are exceptions. Many common names and a few animals do not follow this generalization:
- Katie, Kathy, Kayden, koala, kangaroo, skunk, skull
For more on using c and k in consonant blends, scroll down to “How do I spell the /k/ sound in blends?”
The Question: When do I use ck for the /k/ sound?
The Rule: Use ck when you hear the /k/ sound immediately after a short vowel in a one-syllable word.
- Wilson Substep: 1.3
- UFLI Lesson: 44
Note: ck is introduced in Substep 1.2, also. I typically include it in the reading portion of my lessons, but not the spelling portion. As I mentioned above, my students who start in 1.1 are often not ready for the added cognitive effort of choosing spelling options, so I save explicit instruction for spelling words with ck until we reach Substep 1.3.
I teach my students to give their words a “test” when deciding if the word should end with ck. This test comes in handy when they learn bonus letters, as well as when they learn to spell the /k/ sound in multisyllabic words, like panic, in Step 3.
- Is it a one-syllable word?
- Does it have one short vowel?
- Is the short vowel immediately followed by the /k/ sound?
If you can answer yes to all of these questions, use ck. Try it out with a few words. Would these words pass the ck test?
- peck (yes!)
- peek (No. It has a long vowel sound/two vowels.)
- panic (No. It has two syllables.)
- can (No. It doesn’t end with the /k/ sound.)
Older students benefit from seeing non-examples: Show them the words peck and peek. Refer to the test and discuss why peck uses ck, but peek does not. Show them the word picnic. Can they tell which part of the test it fails?
This quick video from Nessy brings the digraph ck to life as “Protector ck.” I highly recommend showing this to your students. It’s a cute and engaging way to introduce the spelling rule, and it won’t take much time away from your lesson. Personifying the digraph ck as a knight who protects short vowels makes this spelling rule so memorable!
The Question: How do I spell the /k/ sound in blends?
In Wilson Step 2, we expand upon previous closed syllable spelling rules:
- K takes i and e. C takes the other three and the consonants.
- If your vowel has a friend, use a k. 🎶
- Wilson Substeps: 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.5
- UFLI Lessons: Words with consonant blends are included in lessons 22 through 41. You may choose any point to introduce this spelling rule.
The Updated Rule: K takes i and e. C takes the other three and the consonants. Previously, students learned that if the next letter is a, o, or u, then spell the /k/ sound with a c. Now, they learn that if the next letter is a consonant, they should use c. Here are some words that follow this expanded rule:
- clap
- crush
- scrap
- fact
New Rule: If your vowel has a friend, use a k. We also expand on the final ck/”Protector ck rule.” (If you choose to use the Nessy video, ck will forever be known as Protector ck in your classroom!) Students already learned that one-syllable words with one short vowel immediately followed by the /k/ sound need ck. We add to that story and say that if the short vowel “has a friend,” then the Protector’s services are no longer needed. “A friend” means a letter that sneaks in between the short vowel and the final /k/ sound. Here are some words that follow this new rule, “if your vowel has a friend, use a k”:
- silk
- sink
- bulk
- desk
Words will vowel teams, like peek, steak, and oak, also follow this rule. They have a long vowel team instead of a single short vowel, so we can say that the vowel “has a friend.” Words with r-controlled vowels also fit this rule. Consider park, fork, and perk. Each vowel is followed by an r before the /k/ sound, so we spell that /k/ sound with a k.
Years ago, my teacher bestie busted out this song, sung to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It, and I have used it ever since. Take a look at the words silk, sink, and sick while you consider the words to this song:
“If your vowel has a friend, use a k.
If your vowel has a friend, use a k.
If your vowel’s all alone and no one else is home,
You have to use Protector ck.”
With my younger students, I freely sing the song to them. With my older students who are too cool to sing or be sung to, I’ll preface it by saying, “I use a silly song to teach my younger students this spelling rule. Do you want to hear it?” No one has ever said no! This way, my older students learn the trick, and they get to be the big kids who are let in on a secret strategy for helping younger kids spell.
Closed Syllable Spelling Rules: When to Use w and wh
- Wilson Substep: 1.3
- UFLI Lessons: 28, 50
Note: w and wh are introduced in Substep 1.2, also. However, I typically wait until 1.3 to address this spelling rule. Students who start in 1.1 need to focus on developing good habits and basic skills. Once they can fluently read and spell CVC words that don’t require consideration of spelling rules, then I will teach this concept.
Some people say that deciding between w and wh when spelling is an easy task because these sounds are pronounced differently. Where I live, they are both pronounced /w/, which makes it challenging for students to choose the correct spelling. However, we can follow a general rule when spelling words with w and wh.
Many words follow this rule:
- Use wh for question words: what, where, when, which, why, who
- Use wh for sound words: whack, whip, wham, whoosh, whistle
- Use w for everything else: wet, wax, wag, walk, wink, water
If you consider this list of words, the rule appears to hold true. But what about words like whale and white? For curious kids who love to find the “rule-breakers,” there are also some words from Old English that start with wh, but are not question words or sound words: whale, wheel, wharf, wheat, while, whirl, white, and whole.
As with many English spelling rules, they are true often or most of the time, but rarely always. When I teach this w/wh strategy, I tell my students that it will usually help them choose the right spelling, but it’s not guaranteed.
Closed Syllable Spelling Rules: Bonus Letters (The FLOSS Rule)
- Wilson Substep: 1.4
- UFLI Lessons: 42, 43
The Question: When do I have to double a final consonant?
The Rule: Double the final consonant immediately after a short vowel in a one-syllable word that ends with f, l, or s (and sometimes z).
I teach my students to give their words a “test” when deciding if the word should end with a bonus letter. The test is nearly identical to the ck test, so it’s easy for my students to recall:
- Is it a one-syllable word?
- Does it have one short vowel?
- Does the word end with a letter that can be a bonus letter (F, L, S, sometimes Z), that comes immediately after the short vowel?
If you can answer yes to all of these questions, double the final consonant. Try it out with a few words. Would these words pass the bonus letter test?
- spell (yes!)
- beef (No. It has a long vowel sound/two vowels.)
- hotel (No. It has two syllables.)
- pig (No. It doesn’t end with a letter that can be a bonus letter.)
Older students benefit from seeing non-examples. Show them the words tell and hotel. Refer to the test and discuss why tell uses a bonus letter, but hotel does not. Show them the word held. Can they tell which part of the test it fails? (The l is not the final letter in the syllable.)
What about using z as a bonus letter?
Well, the letter z is indecisive. Most of the time, we double it, but sometimes we don’t. Here’s a list of common words that end with z or zz:
- jazz
- fizz
- fuzz
- buzz
- frizz
- whiz
- quiz
Other Bonus Letter Concepts: all, oll, ull
Words with the all pattern pass the bonus letter test, but they have an unexpected vowel sound. The letter a represents the short o sound. However, it still follows the bonus letter rule. Some words with all include ball, call, hall, and tall.
Words with oll often use the long o sound, as in poll and troll. Oddly, the word doll is an outlier that often confuses kids. My students and I like to say that dolls are special, so they get a special spelling that is different from other words with the same sound pattern.
Words with ull may or may not be challenging for you and your students, depending on regional dialect. In words like full, pull, and bull, some people hear a short u sound, some people hear the /oo/ sound, like in good, and some people will say they don’t really hear the vowel at all. To them, the words sound the same as the consonant blends fl, pl, and bl.
Putting It All Together: Closed Syllable Spelling Rules Before a Suffix
- Wilson Substep: 1.6
- UFLI Lessons: 20, 21, 63, 64, 65
The Question: How can I accurately spell simple words that have suffixes?
The Rule: Follow the rules for c/k/ck and bonus letters before adding the suffixes -s, -es, -ed, and -ing.
Note: Some words will require a double consonant before adding the suffix, like when run becomes running. This spelling rule, often called the 1-1-1 rule or the doubling rule, is beyond the scope of this post.
When my students reach Substep 1.6, we start with simple words that do not have a bonus letter or a final ck, like cats, kids, and wishes. Once they get the hang of the concept of suffixes, we work on words with bonus letters and final ck, like bosses and checks. We spend at least one lesson (often more) on separating the base word from the suffix to ensure that the base word is spelled correctly before adding a suffix.
There’s not necessarily a spelling rule to teach at this point, but rather a strategy: be mindful of words with suffixes so you can make sure you spell the base word correctly first.
Using Questioning About Closed Syllable Spelling Rules During the Reading Portion of Your Lessons
After you’ve taught your initial lesson on a spelling rule, you can weave in questioning to review the concepts and help your students orthographically map words and word elements, like base words and suffixes. Here’s a sampling of questions you might ask to support increased spelling accuracy. Possible answers/explanations are also offered.
- Why does crush start with c instead of k or ck? (C takes the other three and the consonants. Ck only comes at the end of a word.)
- Why does kid start with k? (K takes i and e.)
- Why does milk end with k? (It doesn’t need Protector ck. The vowel has a friend, so we use a k.)
- Why does Jack end with ck? (It passes the ck test. The vowel needs to be protected. It’s a one-syllable word with one short vowel.)
- Why is the f doubled at the end of puff? (It passes the bonus letter test. It’s a one-syllable word with one short vowel followed by a letter that can be a bonus letter.)
- Why does bell have a double letter at the end but bet does not? (L can be a bonus letter. T cannot.)
- Why does wet start with w instead of wh? (It’s not a question word or a sound word.)
- Why does which start with wh? (It’s a question word.)
Learn more about the most common syllable type in English: The Closed Syllable
Closed Syllable Spelling Rules: You Already Have What You Need
The rules and strategies in this post are not separate from your Wilson, UFLI, or Orton Gillingham lessons. They live inside the content you are already teaching. When spelling is your student’s primary challenge, the shift is not about changing your program. It’s about sharpening your focus, asking better questions, and making the invisible logic of English spelling visible to your student, one decision at a time. Your struggling speller does not need a different approach. They need a tutor who knows exactly where to look.
