Spelling Week 5
Suffix -ent
- Spell words with Suffix -ent correctly
- Identify word meanings using context clues and definitions
- Apply spelling words correctly in sentences
- Demonstrate mastery on the weekly post-test
Pre-Test
Word Lists & Grading
Look, Say, Cover, Write
Defining Words
Match definitions
Fill-in sentences
Word Practice
Word Search
Find the Sum
Fun with Words
Suffix Detective
Practice Activities
Post-Test
Spelling Test
Peer Grading
The Suffix: -ent
The suffix -ent means “having the quality of” or “one who does something.” When you see -ent at the end of a word, it often turns a verb into an adjective or noun. For example: patient (having patience), excellent (having excellence), emergent (something that emerges). This week, 10 of our words end in the -ent suffix!
excel → excellent • emerge → emergent • innoc → innocent • frequ → frequent
Many -ent words are adjectives that describe a quality. They tell you WHAT something or someone is like.
patient • absent • decent • ancient • accent • impatient
Some -ent words are so common that we don’t even think about the suffix! But recognizing the -ent pattern helps you spell them correctly every time.
Watch Out — Tricky Patterns!
Some words end in -ent (like patient, decent, frequent), while other words end in similar sounds but spell them differently: -ant (pleasant, important), -ence (silence), or -en (listen). Knowing the suffix helps you spell correctly!
patient (not patiant) • decent (not decant) • excellent (not excellant)
These words all use -ent, not -ant. When in doubt, remember this week’s pattern!
listen — the “t” is silent! Say “LIS-en” not “LIS-ten”
Massachusetts — double “s” appears twice and “chu” makes a “choo” sound
Today's Plan
1. Take the spelling pre-test (listen carefully!)
2. Get your word list and grade your partner's test
3. Practice with Look, Say, Cover, Write
Trent made an _____ grade on his science test.
The _____ games were held in Greece.
Lanie became very _____ while waiting in line at the movies.
He has been _____ from work for two weeks.
It's important to get a _____ education.
The _____ software company developed a new app.
Dan remained _____ as he waited for the call.
The defendant was _____ until proven guilty.
Mark had developed a slight southern _____ .
We used our _____ flier miles when we flew to Florida.
Sam lived for one year in the New England state of _____ .
Wendy read a great mystery _____ last week.
The _____ story made me laugh.
Please _____ to directions very carefully.
I was beginning to _____ if Paul would ever arrive.
The birthday present put a _____ on Hallie's face.
The climber inched up the _____ wall of rock.
The artwork was made up of _____ lines.
She divided the shapes using _____ lines.
Mr. Matthews had to find an area of _____ ground for the picnic table.
⭐ CHALLENGE WORD ⭐
The paint on the wall is _____ and cannot be washed off.
⭐ CHALLENGE WORD ⭐
Having a grocery store nearby is very _____ .
Extremely good; outstanding in quality
ex·cel·lent
Very old; from a long time ago
an·cient
Not willing to wait; restless or anxious
im·pa·tient
Not present; missing from a place
ab·sent
Meeting an acceptable standard; fairly good
de·cent
Coming into view; beginning to exist or develop
e·mer·gent
Willing to wait calmly and accept delays
pa·tient
Free from guilt; having done nothing wrong
in·no·cent
A way of pronouncing words that shows where someone is from
ac·cent
Happening often; occurring many times
fre·quent
A state in the northeastern United States
Mas·sa·chu·setts
A fictional chapter book; also means new and original
nov·el
Causing laughter or amusement; funny
com·i·cal
To pay attention in order to hear something
lis·ten
To feel curious; to want to know about something
won·der
A happy expression made by turning up the corners of the mouth
smile
Having a direction from top to bottom; upright
ver·ti·cal
Going from side to side; parallel to the ground
hor·i·zon·tal
Going from one corner to another at an angle; slanting
di·ag·o·nal
Flat and even; having no slope or tilt
lev·el
Lasting forever; not temporary or changing
per·ma·nent
Easy to use or well-suited to one's needs; handy
con·ven·ient
How to Practice
Use your Look, Say, Cover, Write worksheet to master each word.
Study the word carefully. Notice every letter.
Say the word out loud. Listen to each syllable.
Fold the paper to hide the word. Picture it in your mind.
Write the word from memory. Then check — did you get it right?
Today's Plan
1. Match words to definitions (Part A)
2. Complete sentences using words from the list (Part B)
3. Review answers together as a class
Teacher's Choice Menu
Pick from the activities below based on what the class needs:
Find all 20 words hidden in the grid
Calculate letter values for each word
Clue game — can you identify the word?
Strategy Guide
1. Start with the longest words first — they're easiest to spot (Massachusetts, horizontal, diagonal, impatient)
2. Look for unusual letter combos like double “ss” in Massachussetts, silent “t” in listen, and the -ent ending in ten of our words
3. Words can go across, down, or diagonal — check all directions!
4. Cross off each word in the word bank as you find it
How many of our 20 spelling words end in the suffix -ent?
10 words: excellent, ancient, impatient, absent, decent, emergent, patient, innocent, accent, frequent
How It Works
Every letter has a point value: Consonants = 10 points | Vowels = 5 points
Underline each consonant, circle each vowel, then add up the total!
e(5) + x(10) + c(10) + e(5) + l(10) + l(10) + e(5) + n(10) + t(10)
= 75 points
How many consonants? How many vowels?
55
impatient
70 pts
i(5) + m(10) + p(10) + a(5) + t(10) + i(5) + e(5) + n(10) + t(10)
absent
50 pts
a(5) + b(10) + s(10) + e(5) + n(10) + t(10)
emergent
65 pts
e(5) + m(10) + e(5) + r(10) + g(10) + e(5) + n(10) + t(10)
innocent
65 pts
i(5) + n(10) + n(10) + o(5) + c(10) + e(5) + n(10) + t(10)
Massachusetts
110 pts
M(10) + a(5) + s(10) + s(10) + a(5) + c(10) + h(10) + u(5) + s(10) + e(5) + t(10) + t(10) + s(10)
horizontal
80 pts
h(10) + o(5) + r(10) + i(5) + z(10) + o(5) + n(10) + t(10) + a(5) + l(10)
diagonal
60 pts
d(10) + i(5) + a(5) + g(10) + o(5) + n(10) + a(5) + l(10)
comical
55 pts
c(10) + o(5) + m(10) + i(5) + c(10) + a(5) + l(10)
Clue 1: I'm a word your teacher uses when she wants you to wait calmly.
Clue 2: I end in -ent, and I'm the opposite of another word on this list!
Clue 3: Doctors also call the people they treat by my name.
Clue 1: I'm the longest word on this week's list — 13 letters!
Clue 2: Boston is my capital city.
Clue 3: I'm a state in New England, and I'm really tricky to spell!
Clue 1: I describe a line that goes from one corner to the opposite corner.
Clue 2: I'm NOT vertical and NOT horizontal.
Clue 3: I end in -al, not -ent, and I have 4 syllables.
Clue 1: I describe something that's just beginning to appear or develop.
Clue 2: I end in -ent and I start with a vowel.
Clue 3: A new company or technology could be described as me.
Clue 1: I mean the same thing as 'funny' or 'humorous.'
Clue 2: I end in -al, which makes me easy to confuse with -ent words.
Clue 3: A silly joke or a goofy movie might be called me.
Clue 1: I mean 'free from guilt' — the opposite of guilty.
Clue 2: I have three syllables and end in -ent.
Clue 3: In court, you might hear someone declared me.
I mean 'very good' and end in -ent!
I'm a happy face you make — no -ent here!
I mean 'not there' or 'missing from school'
I go up and down, from top to bottom
I mean 'very old' — like dinosaurs!
I mean 'to use your ears' — but no -ent!
Test Time!
1. Listen to each sentence carefully
2. Write the missing spelling word
3. When finished, trade papers and grade your partner's test
The soccer team did an _____ job at the state tournament.
The box they found had _____ markings on it.
The young child grew _____ and started to cry.
Natalie was _____ from school on the day of the test.
He found a _____ job working for the electric company.
The _____ young singer is not famous yet.
The doctor's _____ called to make an appointment.
The little girl had an _____ look on her face.
The man had a strong British _____ to his voice.
We make _____ trips to the beach.
The capital of _____ is Boston.
The descriptive parts of the _____ made it interesting to read.
The movie was _____ and made us laugh.
Kasey likes to _____ to music while she works.
I _____ if it will rain today?
She has a beautiful _____ after her braces were removed.
Josh divided his paper into _____ columns.
The ground was _____ to the flag pole.
A loud boom came from one of the buildings _____ from her house.
His _____ of performance exceeded all expectations.
⭐ CHALLENGE WORD ⭐
The marker left a _____ stain on the white shirt.
⭐ CHALLENGE WORD ⭐
It is _____ to have a library inside our school.
Extremely good; outstanding in quality
ex·cel·lent
Very old; from a long time ago
an·cient
Not willing to wait; restless or anxious
im·pa·tient
Not present; missing from a place
ab·sent
Meeting an acceptable standard; fairly good
de·cent
Coming into view; beginning to exist or develop
e·mer·gent
Willing to wait calmly and accept delays
pa·tient
Free from guilt; having done nothing wrong
in·no·cent
A way of pronouncing words that shows where someone is from
ac·cent
Happening often; occurring many times
fre·quent
A state in the northeastern United States
Mas·sa·chu·setts
A fictional chapter book; also means new and original
nov·el
Causing laughter or amusement; funny
com·i·cal
To pay attention in order to hear something
lis·ten
To feel curious; to want to know about something
won·der
A happy expression made by turning up the corners of the mouth
smile
Having a direction from top to bottom; upright
ver·ti·cal
Going from side to side; parallel to the ground
hor·i·zon·tal
Going from one corner to another at an angle; slanting
di·ag·o·nal
Flat and even; having no slope or tilt
lev·el
Lasting forever; not temporary or changing
per·ma·nent
Easy to use or well-suited to one's needs; handy
con·ven·ient
Suffix -ent — Key Takeaways
The suffix -ent means “having the quality of” or “one who does.” Examples: patient, excellent, emergent.
Ten of our spelling words end in -ent: excellent, ancient, impatient, absent, decent, emergent, patient, innocent, accent, frequent.
Not every word ending in the letters e-n-t uses -ent as a true suffix. Words like listen and Massachusetts have different endings.
Challenge words permanent and convenient also use the -ent suffix — great job learning those!
Shoni was excited about the science fair because she had worked hard on an excellent project about ancient civilizations. Her partner, Cobie, was getting impatient waiting for the judges to arrive. “Don’t worry,” Shoni said with a smile. “They’ll be here soon.” Liam noticed that one judge had been absent all morning, but Raelynn reminded everyone to stay patient and wait their turn.
Jenson presented his emergent technology project about robots that could listen to voice commands. His display board had both vertical and horizontal lines showing how the robot’s sensors worked. Maliah drew a diagonal arrow across her poster to show the path of sound waves, and she spoke with a confident accent that impressed the judges. “I wonder if we’ll win,” Faeliah whispered to Duke, who just gave her an innocent grin.
The judges made frequent visits to each table, and Nalah was decent about waiting her turn. When they finally reached her station about the state of Massachusetts, they were amazed by her novel approach—a comical puppet show that made the whole room laugh. The judges said her project was on a whole new level. It was clear that every student’s permanent hard work had paid off, and having the fair at school was so convenient for their families.
Answer these in your head or share with a partner:
1. Which 3 words were the hardest for you this week?
2. Did your score improve from the pre-test to the post-test?
3. What strategy helped you the most — Look Say Cover Write, the definition matching, or the games?
Sentence starter: "The strategy that helped me most was ___ because ___."