Words ending in the 'shus' sound

In a nutshell

Many adjectives end with a 'shus' sound but are spelt differently. To work out whether the word ends with '-cious', '-tious' or '-xious', you need to look at the root word.

The suffix '-cious'

If the root word ends with 'ce', the 'shus' sound is spelt '-cious'.

Examples

Grace	Gracious
Malice	Malicious
Space	Spacious

The suffix '-tious'

If the root word ends in anything other than 'ce', the 'shus' sound is spelt '-tious'.

Examples

Ambition	Ambitious
Infect	Infectious
Nutrition	Nutritious

Exceptions to the rule

There are a few exceptions to this rule. Some words spelt with an 'x' use the suffix '-xious'.

Examples

Anxiety

Anxious