Endings: -ture and -sure
Year group: 3/4
Source: DfE, English Appendix 1: Spelling, National Curriculum for England (2013) — Years 3–4, Suffixes
Curriculum requirement: Statutory
Purpose: Years 3–4 guide to words ending in -ture and -sure — when each ending is used, statutory examples, and practice activities.
The rule
Two common word endings make the /tʃə/ and /ʒə/ sounds:
-ture makes the /tʃə/ sound ("cher")
picture → /ˈpɪk.tʃə/
nature → /ˈneɪ.tʃə/
-sure makes the /ʒə/ sound ("zher")
measure → /ˈmɛʒ.ə/
treasure → /ˈtrɛʒ.ə/
Neither ending follows the "drop-the-e" pattern because the e is part of the suffix itself, not the base word.
Etymology note
-ture comes from Latin -tura, a suffix indicating "the result of an action" or "the process of." Picture comes from Latin pictura (a painting); nature from natura (birth, character). The /tʃ/ sound developed through French, where the Latin -tura evolved into a pronunciation that English absorbed.
-sure comes from Latin -sura through Old French. Measure derives from Latin mensura; treasure from Latin thesaurus (a storehouse — the same root as a thesaurus dictionary). The /ʒ/ sound is a voiced version of /ʃ/, and it appears consistently in -sure words of French and Latin origin.
-ture words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| picture | an image or photograph |
| nature | the natural world; character |
| adventure | an exciting experience |
| creature | a living being |
| feature | a distinctive part or characteristic |
| future | the time to come |
| mixture | a combination of things |
| capture | to catch or take control |
| texture | how something feels to touch |
| structure | the way something is built or organised |
| fracture | a break (especially in bone) |
| sculpture | a three-dimensional artwork |
| manufacture | to make on a large scale |
| temperature † | degree of heat or cold |
(† = Y3/4 statutory word)
-sure words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| measure | to find the size or amount of |
| treasure | valuable objects; to value something |
| pleasure | enjoyment |
| pressure † | force applied; stress |
| leisure | free time |
| closure | the act of closing |
| enclosure | a fenced-off area |
| exposure | being open to something |
| disclosure | revealing information |
(† = Y3/4 statutory word)
Distinguishing -ture from -sure
Children sometimes swap these endings. A useful check:
- If you can hear a clear /tʃ/ ("ch") sound → spell -ture (picture, capture)
- If you can hear a /ʒ/ ("zh") sound → spell -sure (measure, treasure)
- If you hear a clear /ʃ/ ("sh") sound, consider -ssure (pressure, message) or -sure with a voiceless context
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| picure | picture | Full -ture ending needed |
| tempurature | temperature | temper + -ature — the full suffix |
| measuer | measure | -sure ending, not just -er |
| pressue | pressure | -sure not -ue |
| adventuure | adventure | One u only — advent + -ure |
Word sort
Sort by ending.
Words: picture · measure · nature · treasure · adventure · pressure · creature · pleasure · feature · fracture · closure · texture · leisure · mixture
| -ture | -sure |
|---|---|
Dictation sentences
- She took a picture of every creature she spotted in the garden.
- The treasure was hidden under layers of pressure and stone.
- It was a pleasure to measure the temperature of the liquid.
- The adventure took them through rocky terrain of unusual texture.
- In their leisure time, the class built a structure from recycled materials.
Source: DfE English Appendix 1: Spelling (2013). All statutory word examples verified against the published statutory word lists for Years 3–4.