Spelling Final Y Before A Suffix

If a suffix begins with an e, the y at the end of the root word is usually changed to an i. Look for the suffixes –ed, ‑es, ‑er, and –est.

Cry – cried – crier

Dry – dried – drier

Lay – laid (note the irregular spelling: no e)

Baby – babies

Family – families

Ugly – ugliest

This is the dustiest old house I’ve ever seen.

The best bakers make the flakiest pie crusts.

The soup needs the tiniest pinch of salt, and then it’s perfect.

Sea water dries out your skin.

The y isn’t changed for the suffix -ing.

The baby has been crying for almost an hour.

The minute we brought in the new puppy, our mother began laying down sheets of newspaper.

We should spend some time tidying before the guests arrive.

If the word in question has two consonants before the y, change the y to i before adding the suffix ‑ly.

Sloppy – sloppily

Happy – happily

Quirky – quirkily

Funnily enough, I said the same thing just yesterday.

Of course, there are always exceptions:

“Funny,” he said dryly.