How to spell equipment
A Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling word, with the tricky part explained and a tip that makes it stick.
The answer
equipment
E-Q-U-I-P-M-E-N-T
The part to watch: equip + ment, one p and no t before it. The underlined letters are the ones most people get wrong.
The tricky part
Equipment is equip + ment. The p does not double before -ment, and there is no t after the p.
Equipment is one of the words on the Year 5 and 6 list with a suffix to watch. A suffix is an ending such as -ment, -tion or -ed. Sometimes the root word changes when you add it: a letter is dropped, doubled or swapped.
Common mistakes with equipment
- Wrong: equiptmentRight: equipment
- Wrong: equippmentRight: equipment
A way to remember it
Write equip, then add ment. Nothing else changes.
Equipment in syllables
e · quip · ment
Equipment has 3 syllables. Say each one as you write it.
In a sentence
Put the PE equipment back in the cupboard.
Equipment on the statutory list
Equipment is on the Year 5 and 6 statutory word list in the national curriculum for England, printed there as equip (-ped, -ment). Children are taught these words in Years 5 and 6, when they are 9 to 11.
From the same entry
Test yourself
A short spelling test that starts with equipment, then nine more words from the Year 5 and 6 list, read aloud. It works in your browser.
More words with a suffix to watch
These words from the Year 5 and 6 list share the same pattern as equipment.
More words
Questions parents ask
What is the plural of equipment?
Equipment has no plural. Say "some equipment" or "pieces of equipment", never "equipments".
Spelling is one part of the picture
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