Suffixes after “y”: Keep the “y” or switch to “i”?

When adding a suffix to a word ending in y, how do you know if you should keep the final y or change it to an i? Here's a hint – look at the letter that comes before the y:

• If it's a vowel (a, e, o, u), we generally keep the y.
• If it's a consonant, we generally change the y to an i.

Now that you know the basic rules, see if you can choose the correctly spelled word in the questions below. But be careful: there are a few exceptions!

1. It's a day! Let's pack a picnic and head to the beach!

beautyful

beautiful

2. Kateri has been working as an environmental for nearly 15 years now.

lobbyist

lobbiist

3. Joseph's creative approach to problem solving makes him highly .

employable

emploiable

4. It's not like Ivana to sleep in. she's up with the sun!

Ordinaryly

Ordinarily

5. To help me overcome my , I decided to take an improv class.

shyness

shiness

6. our returns policy should cut down on confusion for both our employees and our customers.

Simplifying

Simplifiing

7. About two months ago, Amélie started going for walks at lunchtime to get some exercise during the workday.

dayly

daily

8. The museum's annual charity ball was by far the event I've ever attended.

fancyest

fanciest

9. I'm , so I could eat a little something.

hungryish

hungriish

10. Pacing yourself at the beginning of the race increases the that you'll be able to finish strong.

likelyhood

likelihood