-le words: the patterns & rules
Sometimes we spell these words with a single letter or double letters before the -le : title / little, idle / middle, trifle / shuffle, stable/ stubble.
Notice the double letters. These occur when there’s a short vowel sound. But we don’t double up when there are 2 consonants: candle, single.
Listen to the difference between apple and maple , little and title . Both have single vowels but one is a long vowel sound and the other short.
And a c is added to the k when it’s a short vowel + “k” sound -ckle: tickle, chuckle, prickle
Watch the video below
Press the player and listen to the word lists below:
-ble after a long vowel sound
table
able
marble
bible
cable
noble
bauble
stable
amb le, assemb le, tumble (short sound but with 2 consonants)
–bble after a short vowel sound
bubble
babble
dribble
nibble
wobble
scribble
stubble
hobble
(exceptions – treble, trouble, double)
alternative spellings for this sound : global, tribal, herbal, libel, label, rebel, symbol, gerbil-tle after long vowel sound
title
beetle
startle
turtle
dismantle (2 consonants)
subt le (2 consonants even though silent b)
-ttle after short vowel sound
little
kettle
battle
bottle
settle
cattle
nettle
throttle
alternative spellings : capital, total, lentil, pistol (+ many more)-stle (silent t )
bristle , whistle, castle, wrestle (silent w & t ), trestle, thistle, gristle, jostle, apostle, hustle, bustle
-dle
idle
cradle
doodle
poodle
needle
ladle
candle, handle, bundle, swindle, dawdle
-ddle
middle
fiddle
puddle
paddle
saddle
straddle
meddle
riddle
alternative spellings : pedal, bridal, feudal, medal, idol, modal, scandal, tidal-gle
single
ogle
gargle
eagle
beagle
bugle
angle, bangle, bungle, tangle, new-fangled
-ggle
struggle
giggle
haggle
alternative spellings : fungal, legal, regal, bagel, mogul
-ple
people
staple
maple
purple
steeple
disciple
simple, dimple, sample, example, crumple
-pple
apple
dapple
ripple
supple
topple
grapple
(exceptions: triple, couple)
alternative spellings: opal, chapel, pupil–fle
rifle
trifle
stifle
-ffle
shuffle
sniffle
truffle
raffle
baffle
muffle
ruffle
scuffle
alternative spellings: offal, duffel (also duffle) many words endings with -ful wonderful, awful -kle
ankle
sprinkle
sparkle
tinkle
twinkle
wrinkle
(no -kkle words ) -ckle short vowel sound
tickle
tackle
chuckle
pickle
prickle
trickle
fickle
buckle
cackle
freckle
knuckle
alternative spellings: snorkel, pumpernickel, nickel, jackal -cle
uncle
article
icicle
circle
cycle
bicycle
miracle
obstacle
vehicle
spectacle
chronicle
no -ccle words
alternative spellings : logical, economical, practical, vocal -sle
measle/measles
tousle
-ssle
hassle, tussle
-zzle
dazzle
embezzle
nozzle
puzzle
drizzle
alternative spellings: pretzel, wurzel
-xle
axle (that’s it)
alternative spelling: pixel
No words ending in:
-hle
-jle
-mle
-nle
-qle/-qule
-rle
-vle
-wle
Do a word search – click here
Do a spelling test – click here
Do a quiz – click here
Thanks to Lyn Stone’s Spelling for Life (for teachers) book