-tion or -sion?
Start at the root.

They can sound alike. The word they grow from often helps you choose the right letters.

Try a little practice ↓

FOUR SPELLINGS TO GET TO KNOW

Listen to the ending.
Look at the beginning.

-tion

Look for t or te

invent → invention

Root words ending in t or te often lead to this spelling.

act → action; complete → completion

-sion

Look for d or se

expand → expansion

A final d or se can be a clue. The sound may be “shun” or “zhun”.

extend → extension; revise → revision

-ssion

Look for ss or mit

discuss → discussion

A root ending in ss often keeps both letters. Some mit roots change to ss.

express → expression; permit → permission

-cian

Look for c or cs

music → musician

Often used for a person with a skill or occupation.

magic → magician; mathematics → mathematician

A useful exception to keep

attend → attention and intend → intention use -tion despite the d in their roots. Words such as educate → education also change more than one letter. Patterns help; they do not replace learning the whole word.

A spelling note: “-tion” and friends are convenient ending labels. England’s curriculum appendix identifies the underlying suffixes as -ion and -ian. This guide supports spelling practice for Years 3–4; it is not a claim of formal curriculum certification.

A note for the grown-ups.

Patterns adapted and explained from the Department for Education’s English spelling appendix (Years 3–4). Examples and practice are original site copy. There is no named teacher reviewer yet; please check materials before using them in a lesson.

Explore the -tion word collection ↗