Spellings from Greek and French: ch, ph, -que, soft c and g

Why origins help

Telling a child that chorus starts with ch “because it does” gives them nothing to remember. Telling them it comes from Greek, like character, chemist and orchestra, gives them a family. Year 6 pupils enjoy this kind of word history, and it turns a list of exceptions into a small number of patterns.

Words from Greek

Greek words cluster around science, music, maths and ideas, which is a useful clue. If a word sounds technical and has a 'k' or 'f' sound, it's worth checking for ch or ph. Roots like graph (writing), phone (sound) and photo (light) unlock dozens of words at once.

Words from French

French borrowings often relate to food, fashion, travel and the arts. Children who notice that chef and brochure are “posh” or “holiday” words are halfway to spelling them.

Soft c and soft g

This is the most reliable rule in this group. When c comes before e, i or y, it usually says 's'. When g comes before e, i or y, it often says 'j'.

• century, medicine, bicycleSoft c: says 's' before e, i, y.
• generous, imagine, energySoft g: says 'j' before e, i, y.
• science, muscle, scissorssc saying 's': the c is silent.

The soft c rule almost never fails. Soft g has well-known exceptions with a hard g, including get, give and girl. The rule also explains why English words never end in j: the 'j' sound at the end of a word is spelt -ge or -dge (huge, bridge, average).

In the SATs

Words like character, physical, rhythm, necessary, science and vegetable are typical of the SATs spelling paper, and many are on the Year 5 and 6 statutory word list. Because the dictation sentence gives the meaning, a child who links the word to its subject (music, science, food) has an extra clue.

Common mistakes

• karacterGreek ch: character.
• fisicalGreek ph: physical.
• sienceSilent c: science.
• tecneekFrench ending: technique.

• Missing the silent h in rhythm, and the missing vowel in its second syllable.
• Writing j for soft g: jenerous.
• Getting the letters of necessary muddled: one c, two s.
• Dropping the middle e in vegetable.

Teaching ideas

Where's it from?

Sort a pile of words into Greek, French and “other”, using a dictionary or online etymology to check. Then look for what each group has in common: subjects, sounds, spellings.

Root families

Give a Greek root (graph, phone, photo, chron) and ask pupils to build as many words as they can. Autograph, paragraph, photograph, telephone, chronological. One root, many spellings.

e, i, y hunt

Pupils highlight every c and g in a passage and the letter after it. They predict hard or soft, then read aloud to check. The rule becomes obvious.

Menu and brochure

Pupils design a French café menu or a holiday brochure using as many French-origin words as possible: chef, croissant, chalet, unique, boutique. Using the words in a fitting context helps them stick.

Try it: five quick questions

SATs-style questions to use as a starter or a quick check. Tap to see each answer.

1. Which is correct? corus / chorus

   Show answer

   chorus: from Greek.

2. Which is correct? photograph / fotograf

   Show answer

   photograph

3. Does the c say 's' or 'k' in cylinder?

   Show answer

   's': c before y is soft.

4. Which is correct? antique / anteek

   Show answer

   antique: a French ending.

5. Which is correct? rythm / rhythm

   Show answer

   rhythm