tion.esthe little ending with big ideasLet’s practise
HomeSpelling guides-er or -or?

THE SPELLING NOTEBOOK · 08

Teacher or
actor?

Both endings name a person who does something. There is no perfect rule, but there are good clues.

Try a little practice ↓

THE RULES, ONE AT A TIME

Look at the word.
Then add the ending.

-er

The everyday ending

teach → teacher

Most words for people, especially from everyday verbs, use -er.

bake → baker; read → reader; walk → walker
-or

Verbs ending in -ate

create → creator

Drop the e and add -or, though everyday words still use -er (skate → skater, debate → debater).

illustrate → illustrator; educate → educator
-or

Verbs ending in -ct

act → actor

Verbs ending in -ct usually take -or.

direct → director; inspect → inspector
-or

Learn these

visit → visitor

Some common words use -or with no clear clue.

edit → editor; invent → inventor; sail → sailor

Exceptions to remember

A few words for people end in -ar: beggar, liar, burglar. Some pairs mean different things: a resister is a person who resists, but a resistor is a part in an electric circuit. When unsure, check a dictionary.

Word lists: -er words · -or words

A LITTLE PRACTICE GOES A LONG WAY

Which spelling is right?

Use the rules above, then check your answers.

01 teach + er/or
02 act + er/or
03 create + er/or
04 bake + er/or
05 direct + er/or
06 farm + er/or

Teacher answer key
  1. teach + er/or → teacher
  2. act + er/or → actor
  3. create + er/or → creator
  4. bake + er/or → baker
  5. direct + er/or → director
  6. farm + er/or → farmer

A note for the grown-ups.

Rules summarised from the Department for Education’s English spelling appendix. Examples and practice are original site copy, checked against the ENABLE2K word list. Spelling rules have exceptions; check unfamiliar words in a dictionary.