How to spell century
A Year 3 and 4 statutory spelling word, with the tricky part explained and a tip that makes it stick.
The answer
century
C-E-N-T-U-R-Y
The part to watch: a soft c at the start, and tu in the middle. The underlined letters are the ones most people get wrong.
The tricky part
Century starts with a c that says s. The middle sounds like "chur" but is spelt tu.
Century is one of the words on the Year 3 and 4 list with a soft c. The letter c says s when it comes before e, i or y, as in centre, circle and bicycle. Before a, o, u or another consonant it says k.
Common mistakes with century
- Wrong: senturyRight: century
- Wrong: centeryRight: century
A way to remember it
A century is 100 years, and "cent" means a hundred, as in per cent.
Century in syllables
cen · tu · ry
Century has 3 syllables. Say each one as you write it.
In a sentence
The castle was built more than a century ago.
Century on the statutory list
Century is on the Year 3 and 4 statutory word list in the national curriculum for England. Children are taught these words in Years 3 and 4, when they are 7 to 9.
Test yourself
A short spelling test that starts with century, then nine more words from the Year 3 and 4 list, read aloud. It works in your browser.
More words with a soft c
These words from the Year 3 and 4 list share the same pattern as century.
More words
Questions parents ask
What is the plural of century?
Centuries. The y changes to i and you add -es, because a consonant comes before the y.
Spelling is one part of the picture
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