Endings: -gue and -que; sc spelling for /s/
Year group: 3/4
Source: DfE, English Appendix 1: Spelling, National Curriculum for England (2013) — Years 3–4, Other spellings
Curriculum requirement: Statutory
Purpose: Years 3–4 guide to words ending in -gue, -que and beginning with sc- — French and Latin borrowings with statutory examples and practice.
Rule A: -gue and -que
Words ending in -gue (pronounced /g/) and -que (pronounced /k/) come from French. In French, the ue after g and q is silent — it exists to show that the g or q is "hard" (makes its own consonant sound, not softened by the following vowel).
league — the ue is silent; we hear /liːg/
antique — the ue is silent; we hear /ænˈtiːk/
-gue words (/g/ sound at end):
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| league | a group or alliance |
| tongue | the muscle in the mouth |
| vague | not clear |
| plague | a serious disease |
| rogue | a dishonest person |
| fatigue | extreme tiredness |
| dialogue | a conversation |
| colleague | someone you work with |
-que words (/k/ sound at end):
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| antique | old and valuable |
| unique | the only one of its kind |
| technique | a method or skill |
| opaque | not see-through |
| plaque | a flat decorated plate; a build-up on teeth |
| mosque | a Muslim place of worship |
| grotesque | ugly or distorted |
Etymology note: Both endings came into English from French after 1066. In French, qu is always pronounced /k/ (French que = English "that"). The silent ue is not redundant — it tells the reader: the preceding consonant is hard, not softened by what follows.
Rule B: sc spelling for the /s/ sound
In some words, sc makes the /s/ sound (not the usual /sk/ of scat or scoop). This happens when sc is followed by e or i — the e or i softens both the s and the c into a single /s/ sound.
| Word | Sound at sc |
|---|---|
| science | /s/ — sc before i |
| scene | /s/ — sc before e |
| scent | /s/ — sc before e |
| discipline | /s/ — sc before i |
| fascinate | /s/ — sc before i |
| crescent | /s/ — sc before e |
| descend | /s/ — sc before e |
| scissors | /s/ — sc before i |
| muscle | /s/ — sc before l (special case) |
The rule in plain English: When sc is followed by e or i, it makes the /s/ sound. When sc is followed by any other letter, it makes the /sk/ sound (scar, scout, scoop, school — exception: Greek ch = /k/).
Etymology note: This pattern comes from the same logic as the soft c rule (taught in Y2): c is softened to /s/ when followed by e, i, or y. In sc, both letters experience this softening together, giving a single /s/ rather than /sk/.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| leege / leag | league | French -gue ending, silent ue |
| tung | tongue | French -gue ending |
| antiek | antique | French -que ending |
| unike | unique | French -que ending |
| sience | science | sc + i = /s/; the c is not silent, it combines with s |
| sene | scene | sc + e = /s/ |
| disipline | discipline | sc before i = /s/; both the c and the s are doing their job |
Word sort activity — Part A: -gue and -que
Sort these words by their ending.
Words: league · antique · tongue · unique · vague · technique · dialogue · plague · opaque · colleague · fatigue · grotesque
| -gue words (end in /g/ sound) | -que words (end in /k/ sound) |
|---|---|
Word sort activity — Part B: sc = /s/ or /sk/?
Say each word. Sort by the sound sc makes.
Words: science · scarf · scene · scoop · discipline · Scotland · fascinate · scent · scout · crescent · scissors · scramble
| sc = /s/ | sc = /sk/ |
|---|---|
Dictation sentences (teacher-ready)
- The scene was unique — nobody had ever seen anything quite like it.
- His technique was hard to describe, somewhere between vague and inventive.
- The science lesson used a careful discipline of observation and recording.
- She was fascinated by the antique found during the crescent-shaped excavation.
- The team's league standing meant they needed a new strategy to avoid fatigue.
Classroom questions
- Say league aloud. Can you hear the ue at the end? Why is it there?
- What does the ue in antique tell us about how to pronounce the q?
- Say science and scarf. The sc makes a different sound in each — why?
- What language did antique, unique, and technique come from? How can you tell?
- Tongue seems like it should be spelled tung — can you work out why it isn't?
Links to other rules
- Y2: soft c rule (c before e, i, y makes /s/) — sc before e/i follows the same logic
- Y3/4 rule 06: ch spellings from Greek and French — same story of French-origin unusual letter patterns
Source: DfE English Appendix 1: Spelling (2013). Etymology references verified against Oxford English Dictionary and standard etymological sources. All statutory word examples verified against the published statutory word lists for Years 3–4.