Does -able ever attach to broken stems?

Occasionally (capable, probable). English collects exceptions the way attics collect boxes. The test still wins far more often than it loses, which is all a strategy needs.

Unseen words: shown 'refundable' or 'audible' for the first time, your child names the meaning, applies the test, and knows when a word is on the exception card. Transfer is the finish line.

6th grade suffixes -able and -ible

6th grade suffixes -able and -ible worksheets

Sixth graders spell the family reliably in real writing, where responsible, incredible, and comfortable are everyday words with famous misspellings.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.6.4.b.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

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.

portedwashdivisreversfavor

Columns: -able and -ible. Only able turns "wash_" into a real word, so washable goes under -able; Only ible turns "ed_" into a real word, so edible goes under -ible.

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 6th grade sheet

6th grade sheets draw from 24 words, 14 to a page. 5th and 6th grade print from the same 24 words. What changes is the standard (L.6.4.b here) and the teaching notes below.

Some of the words:

enjoyableagreeablereliableadorableacceptablehorribleinvisibleflexibleresponsibleincredible

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

Post the two or three exceptions your child actually uses on a card: flexible, sensible, and reversible all have a whole word inside (flex, sense, reverse) and still take -ible. Responsible is not one of them: respons isn't a word, so the test gets it right. Exceptions are few enough to know by name.

Watch for: The whole-word test does the heavy lifting: enjoy+able, break+able. When the base cannot stand alone (poss-, vis-, terr-), -ible is the likely spelling. Both suffixes MEAN the same thing: able to be. Translating each word (washable: can be washed) keeps meaning attached to the spelling drill.

Common questions about 6th grade suffixes -able and -ible

Does -able ever attach to broken stems?: Occasionally (capable, probable). English collects exceptions the way attics collect boxes. The test still wins far more often than it loses, which is all a strategy needs.
What shows mastery?: Unseen words: shown 'refundable' or 'audible' for the first time, your child names the meaning, applies the test, and knows when a word is on the exception card. Transfer is the finish line.

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Aligned to Common Core L.6.4.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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