-sure or -ture?
Listen to the end.

Say the word aloud. The last sound is the first clue, and the root word is the second.

Try a little practice ↓

THE RULES, ONE AT A TIME

Look at the word.
Then add the ending.

-sure

A “zhuh” sound

mea + sure → measure

When the end of the word sounds like “zhuh”, write -sure.

treasure; pleasure; leisure

-ture

A “chuh” sound

pic + ture → picture

When the end sounds like “chuh”, -ture is the usual spelling.

adventure; creature; furniture

-cher

Root ends in ch or tch

teach → teacher

If the root word ends in ch or tch, keep it and add -er. The ending is not -ture.

catch → catcher; rich → richer; stretch → stretcher

-sure

Root ends in -se

enclose → enclosure

When the root ends in -se, drop the e and add -ure. The s stays, so the word ends in -sure.

close → closure; expose → exposure; please → pleasure

Exceptions to remember

Not every -sure word says “zhuh”. In pressure, ensure, insure, assure and sure itself, the s says “sh”, so learn these. Not every “chuh” ending is -ture either: teacher, catcher and pitcher come from roots ending in ch or tch, and a few -cher words have no root to check, such as butcher. Learn those as whole words.

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.