How to spell cemetery
A Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling word, with the tricky part explained and a tip that makes it stick.
The answer
cemetery
C-E-M-E-T-E-R-Y
The part to watch: three e letters and no a. The underlined letters are the ones most people get wrong.
The tricky part
Cemetery starts with a c that says s, and every vowel before the y is e. People often write "cemetary".
Cemetery 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 cemetery
- Wrong: cemetaryRight: cemetery
- Wrong: cemateryRight: cemetery
A way to remember it
Picture three e letters as three gravestones in a row: c-E-m-E-t-E-ry.
Cemetery in syllables
cem · e · ter · y
Cemetery has 4 syllables. Say each one as you write it.
In a sentence
The old church has a cemetery full of mossy stones.
Cemetery on the statutory list
Cemetery 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 cemetery, 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 cemetery.
More words
Questions parents ask
What is the plural of cemetery?
Cemeteries. The y changes to i before -es, and every other vowel is still e.
Spelling is one part of the picture
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