6th grade suffixes -ance and -ence worksheets

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Sixth graders spell the family in real writing, where difference, experience, and performance appear weekly and the hidden vowel costs points quietly.

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.

performabsappearindependpresbal

Columns: -ance and -ence. Only ance turns "appear_" into a real word, so appearance goes under -ance; Only ence turns "abs_" into a real word, so absence goes under -ence.

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 20 words, 14 to a page. 4th to 6th grade print from the same 20 words. What changes is the standard (L.6.4.b here) and the teaching notes below.

Some of the words:

importancedistanceentranceperformanceattendancebalancedifferenceevidenceindependenceexperience

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

How to teach this

Watch for these endings in your child's drafts for two weeks. Each real fix, with the family named, converts the sheet into a habit. These endings are quiet point-costers on essays, and the fix is exactly this noticing.

Watch for: The vowel is a schwa, a quick uh that sounds the same in both endings, which is why these are among the most misspelled endings in English. This sort is eye training, openly and on purpose. Relatives share spellings: important/importance, different/difference, confident/confidence. The -ant and -ent words end in the same uh sound, so they don't help the ear. They help the eye: if your child can already spell the relative, the noun keeps its vowel.

Common questions about 6th grade suffixes -ance and -ence

Which words deserve the most attention?
The essay regulars: difference, experience, performance, importance, confidence, silence. They carry real writing, and their endings are silent traps.
What does mastery look like?
No hesitation at the ending: the word finishes itself. That comes from meetings, and each sheet is a fresh round of them.

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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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