Changing y to ies / ied
You learn to change a consonant + y into i before adding suffixes like -es, -ed, or -er.
How to write it
If a word ends in a consonant followed by y, change the y to an i before adding -es, -ed, or -er.
A worked example
Two little ___ were sleeping in the cot. (baby + es)
- Baby ends in consonant b + y.
- Change y to i and add -es: b-a-b-i-e-s.
- You spell babies.
More examples
A swarm of honey ___ buzzed in the garden. (fly + es)
- Fly ends in consonant l + y.
- Change y to i and add -es: f-l-i-e-s.
- You spell flies.
She ___ her backpack to school yesterday. (carry + ed)
- Carry ends in consonant r + y.
- Change y to i and add -ed: c-a-r-r-i-e-d.
- You spell carried.
Try it yourself
change y to ies
The polite ___ sat down for afternoon tea.
change y to i
The iron kettle was the ___ thing in the kitchen.
Watch out
Changing y to i after a vowel, writing daies instead of days or boies instead of boys.
Look at the letter right before the y. If it is a vowel (a, e, o), just add s: days, toys, monkeys.
Tips
- Consonant + y: change y to i before -es and -ed.
- Vowel + y: keep the y and add -s (play → plays).
Why it works
When a word ends in a consonant followed by y (baby, carry, happy), the y changes to i before a suffix (babies, carried, happier). After a vowel + y (day, boy), the y stays unchanged.