Words Ending in Y for Kids: When to Change Y to IES (Grade 3 English)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. One puppy, two puppies. One toy, two toys. Why do some words ending in y change, while others just add s? Today you will learn the secret.

The secret is to look at the letter just before the y. Is it a vowel, like a, e, o or u? Or is it a consonant, like p, b or r? That one letter decides the rule.

If a consonant comes before the y, change the y to i and add e, s. Baby becomes babies. Berry becomes berries. City becomes cities. Puppy becomes puppies.

If a vowel comes before the y, keep the y and just add s. Toy becomes toys. Key becomes keys. Day becomes days. Monkey becomes monkeys.

The same rule works for action words. She will try. She tries. The bird will fly. It flies. But play has a vowel before the y, so he plays.

Let's check one step by step. The word is story. The letter before y is r, a consonant. So change y to i and add e, s. One story, two stories.

Now it's your turn. Make these words mean more than one: pony and boy. Look at the letter before each y. Pause and try. Pony becomes ponies, because n is a consonant. Boy becomes boys, because o is a vowel.

Great job! Look at the letter before the y. A consonant means change y to i and add e, s. A vowel means just add s. Practice words ending in y in the English Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!