More Words Ending in '-cious' / '-tious'

English: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum, topic 1.3.2

Words Ending in '-cious' or '-tious'

'C' or 't'?

'C' or 't'?

  • We can determine whether to use a 'c' or a 't' by looking at the root word.
  • If the word ends in '-ce', it will take the suffix '-cious'.
  • If a word does not end in '-ce', it will use the suffix '-tious'.
  • nutrition ↔\leftrightarrow nutritious
There's one exception

There's one exception

  • With the word 'anxiety' we use the suffix '-xious'
  • anxiety ↔\leftrightarrow anxious
Examples

Examples

  • ambition → ambitious
  • infection → infectious

Test yourself on More Words Ending in '-cious' / '-tious'

  • Which word should fill the gap?

    Sam is in the hospital because he is ____.

  • Which word should fill the gap?

    Bella likes to eat fruit because it is ____.

Practise this topic for free