Do -tion and -sion sound the same?

Sometimes. Both can spell shun (action, mission), so when you hear shun the ear can't pick the spelling and the base word has to. After a vowel, -sion usually says zhun instead (vision, decision), and -tion almost never does, so zhun points to -sion.

Which spelling is more common?

-tion, by a landslide. That makes a strategy possible: reach for -tion first, and learn the -sion families (-de, -se, -ss endings) as the exceptions.

4th grade suffixes -tion and -sion

4th grade suffixes -tion and -sion worksheets

Fourth graders sort words by their ending, -tion (action, station) or -sion (mission, vision), hear that -sion can say shun or zhun, and meet the suffix's job: turning actions into things.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RF.4.3.a.

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The kind of words you'll complete and sort

Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its column.

deciinvensubtracvacadividiscus

Columns: -tion and -sion. Only tion turns "inven_" into a real word, so invention goes under -tion; Only sion turns "discus_" into a real word, so discussion goes under -sion.

Every print pulls a new set of words at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 4th grade sheet

4th grade sheets draw from 19 words, 14 to a page. All 19 are on 5th grade sheets too, along with 5 more.

Some of the words:

nationdirectionadditionsubtractionvacationmissionvisiondivisionexplosionexpression

Complete and sort. Fill in the missing letters to make a real word, then write the whole word in its column. 14 words per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Sort, then hunt the base word inside each: invent in invention, discuss in discussion. Finding the buried verb teaches what the suffix does, which matters more than how it is spelled.

Watch for: -tion is the overwhelming favorite: when in doubt, -tion is the smart first guess, then check. -sion belongs to certain base families (-de, -se, -ss, -mit). Both endings do the same JOB: they turn a verb into a noun. Kids who see act/action and discuss/discussion as pairs learn the meaning along with the spelling.

Common questions about 4th grade suffixes -tion and -sion

Do -tion and -sion sound the same?: Sometimes. Both can spell shun (action, mission), so when you hear shun the ear can't pick the spelling and the base word has to. After a vowel, -sion usually says zhun instead (vision, decision), and -tion almost never does, so zhun points to -sion.
Which spelling is more common?: -tion, by a landslide. That makes a strategy possible: reach for -tion first, and learn the -sion families (-de, -se, -ss endings) as the exceptions.

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Aligned to Common Core RF.4.3.a. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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