Superlative Spelling Changes Exercises

Some short superlatives need spelling changes before the ending is added. There are three main patterns in this exercise. If a one-syllable adjective ends in consonant + short vowel + consonant, double the final consonant: big → the biggest, hot → the hottest, slim → the slimmest. If an adjective ends in -y after a consonant, change y to i and add -est: happy → the happiest, busy → the busiest. If an adjective already ends in silent -e, add -st: nice → the nicest.

These spelling changes help keep the pronunciation and written form clear. The doubling rule does not apply to every short adjective: fast becomes the fastest because it ends in two consonants, and clean becomes the cleanest because it has two vowels before the final consonant. The y-to-i rule normally applies after a consonant, not after a vowel, so grey can become the greyest in British English. Do not change the adjective twice. Write "the biggest", "the happiest", and "the nicest", not "the bigest", "the happyest", or "the niceest".