What are Greek and Latin roots and why do they appear in Year 4?

Greek and Latin roots are word-building parts that carry meaning: photo = light (photograph, photography, photosynthesis), graph = write (autograph, biography), bio = life (biology, biography), trans = across (transport, translate). Year 4 is when systematic study of these roots begins in the Australian Curriculum because students now encounter them regularly in science and humanities texts. Learning a single root like port (carry) unlocks transport, import, export, reporter, portable, and more. It is a very high return on a small investment.

What is the difference between -able and -ible?

Both mean "capable of" or "able to be", but they come from different Latin verb classes. As a rough rule, -able tends to attach to base words that exist in English (readable, washable, loveable) while -ible tends to attach to bound Latin roots (possible, flexible, horrible). There are plenty of exceptions, and even confident adult spellers occasionally need to check these. Year 4 is when students begin encountering this distinction, and mastery typically develops over Years 4–6 through exposure to common -able/-ible words.

How does syllabication help with Year 4 spelling?

Syllabication is the skill of breaking longer words into their syllable units: trans-port, vis-i-ble, gov-ern-ment. When students can reliably divide a word into syllables, they can apply their phonics knowledge syllable by syllable, which makes spelling of 2–4 syllable words much more manageable. Year 4 is when this skill is developed systematically, building on the two-syllable work from Year 3. It also helps students identify where to double consonants (run-ning, sit-ting) and where to drop silent letters.

My Year 4 child struggles to remember which spelling rule to apply. What helps?

This is very common at Year 4 because students are managing more rules simultaneously than in the early years. The most effective approach is to focus on one pattern at a time with regular word sorting: make a pile of all the -able words, a pile of all the -ible words, and look for patterns. Connecting new words to familiar word families (if you know port, you can figure out transport, import, portable) also reduces the memory load. Short daily practice beats occasional long sessions for rule consolidation.

Australia · Year 4 · typically ages 8–9 · Practice reference guide

Australian Year 4 Spelling Guide

Greek and Latin roots and affixes as spelling and meaning tools, syllabication strategies, commonly confused prefixes and suffixes (-ment, -able, -ible), and academic vocabulary expanding.

Practice reference resource aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Not an official curriculum document. Children develop at their own pace, and wherever your child is right now is a great starting point.

Practise spelling free See Year 4 patterns

What is typically covered in Year 4?

Based on the Australian Curriculum: English and common state and territory programs. Individual schools vary, so use this as a helpful orientation, not a strict checklist.

Spelling patterns commonly introduced or consolidated at Year 4

Greek roots: photo (light), graph (write), bio (life), geo (earth), tele (far)
Latin roots: port (carry), trans (across), vis (see), aud (hear)
Prefixes: dis-, un-, re-, pre-, mis-, over-, under-
Suffixes: -ment (government), -able/-ible (readable, possible)
Syllabication strategies: dividing 2–3 syllable words at syllable boundaries
Commonly confused words: there/their/they're (consolidating), affect/effect (introduced)
Academic vocabulary: invisible, transport, biology, distance

Example words at Year 4 level

photographtransportbiologyinvisiblepreviewgovernmentpossibledistance

Illustrative examples only. Individual school programs may use different word sets.

Based on Australian Curriculum: English Year 4 language and literacy strands; Words Their Way Syllables and Affixes stage; common structured literacy programs used in Australian schools.

Spelling progression context

Building from

Year 3

Vowel teams, r-controlled vowels (all five), prefixes and suffixes, multisyllabic words beginning, homophones (their/there/they're), and -tion endings. Year 3 is the first NAPLAN spelling year.

Moving toward

Year 5

Multi-syllable word control, derivational suffixes (-ous, -ious, -ence/-ance, -ence), Latin-origin words, commonly misspelled academic words (necessary, separate, definite), and NAPLAN Year 5 vocabulary. Year 5 is a NAPLAN spelling year.

All Australia stages

Kindy Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9

Back to Australian Year-Level Spelling Guide

Year 4 printable spelling word list

A 100-word printable practice list for Year 4, grouped by spelling pattern category, with a print-ready layout and practice tips.

View Year 4 word list

Related spelling resources

NAPLAN spelling practice NAPLAN Year 3 NAPLAN Year 5 NAPLAN Year 7

Australia Year 4 Spelling: Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Practise Year 4 spelling, wherever your child is

Lit Spelling's adaptive lists complement any curriculum. Year 4 patterns and beyond: audio-first sessions, instant feedback, tricky words revisited automatically.