How to spell category
A Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling word, with the tricky part explained and a tip that makes it stick.
The answer
category
C-A-T-E-G-O-R-Y
The part to watch: cat + e + gory, with e after the t. The underlined letters are the ones most people get wrong.
The tricky part
The vowel after cat is an e, but it sounds like "uh", so people write "catagory".
Category is one of the words on the Year 5 and 6 list with a letter you hardly hear. When we speak quickly, a letter or a whole beat gets swallowed. Say the word slowly, the way it is spelt, so every letter has a sound.
Common mistakes with category
- Wrong: catagoryRight: category
- Wrong: catergoryRight: category
A way to remember it
A category is a group, and category starts with "cat": cats are one category of pet.
Category in syllables
cat · e · go · ry
Category has 4 syllables. Say each one as you write it.
In a sentence
Sort the animals into the right category.
Category on the statutory list
Category is on the Year 5 and 6 statutory word list in the national curriculum for England. Children are taught these words in Years 5 and 6, when they are 9 to 11.
Test yourself
A short spelling test that starts with category, then nine more words from the Year 5 and 6 list, read aloud. It works in your browser.
More words with a letter you hardly hear
These words from the Year 5 and 6 list share the same pattern as category.
More words
Questions parents ask
What is the plural of category?
Categories. The y changes to i before -es.
Spelling is one part of the picture
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