CHAPTER 17

Changing the y to i

Here is one of those spelling rules that we all remember quite well, though we sometimes get a little

confused when it comes to actually applying the rule and remembering the exceptions. The rules are quite
simple and very logical and have few exceptions. The rule is applied when forming plurals and when
adding suffixes.

Spelling rule #1: If there is a vowel before the y, add the s or the suffix:

Spelling rule #2: If there is a consonant before the y, change the y to an i before adding the plural es
or the suffix:

(^) But if the suffix begins with an i, then the y has to remain or we would have a double i which is
extremely rare in English:
(^) When adding ous, most words change the y to i, but there is a large group that changes y to e. There
appears to be no discernible reason for this anomaly.
(^) But
(^) Note that if the y has the long i sound, then it must be retained when adding ly or ness in order to keep
the long i sound, even if it is preceded by a consonant:
(^) Words ending in ay usually obey the ay-ai spelling rule:
(^) Note that, apparently just to be contrary, the English language contains some words that sometimes
reverse the process and change the ie to y. This apparent anomaly is necessary to avoid the occurrence of
three vowels in a row, which is extremely rare in English.
(^) In the case of the word money, some dictionaries offer the choice of moneys or monies and moneyed or
monied. Since the y is preceded by a vowel, there is no reason to change the y to i and thus no logical
reason to break the rule.