Before the quiz, here is what the topic means at this level. Year 4 spelling covers word origins, Greek and Latin roots, suffix rules that change spelling (happy to happiness), and spelling multisyllabic words by breaking them into parts. Editing for spelling is expected in all writing.

Every question on this page was written to a specific Victorian Curriculum reference for Year 4 and checked by an RHZ tutor before it could be served.

Where Year 4 students go wrong with phonics and spelling

Most errors in phonics and spelling are not random. When Year 4 students sit our Skills Check, the same handful of misunderstandings account for the majority of lost marks:

None of these is a sign of low ability. Each is a reasonable idea that worked in an earlier year and needs replacing, which is exactly what a good explanation, or a tutor, does.

What to do if phonics and spelling needs work

For Years 3 to 6, pair daily reading with a small amount of writing that gets edited. Grammar sticks when it is used, not when it is drilled.

How the 10 questions are chosen

Every set on this page is a seeded selection of 10 from the 15 phonics and spelling questions that pass our quality gate. A different seed gives a different set, and there are many more combinations than any one student will need. The correct answers never appear in the page source; the browser asks our server for them after you press Mark my answers.

A single-topic quiz is more precise than a mixed one: if the score here is low, the gap is in phonics and spelling, not somewhere in Year 4 English generally. It is still short, though, and it cannot show how a student copes with the stretch and challenge questions that decide a top result. That is what the free Skills Check adds.

Year 4 Phonics & spelling notes: the key ideas

A one-page summary of phonics and spelling at Year 4 level, written by RHZ tutors to the Victorian Curriculum. Read it before the quiz, or print it for revision.

A root is the core part of a word carrying its meaning; many come from Greek and Latin, such as port meaning carry.
A syllable is a chunk of a word with one vowel sound; multisyllabic words are spelled one chunk at a time.
Suffix rule: change y to i before a suffix unless the suffix starts with i, so happiness but carrying.
Common Latin roots include aud (hear), dict (say) and struct (build); Greek roots include graph (write) and phon (sound).
Suffixes change word class: -tion turns a verb into a noun (act to action) and -ly turns an adjective into an adverb.
Worked example: spell 'transportation' by chunking trans-port-a-tion, then check each part: trans (across), port (carry), -ation (noun ending).
Common mistake: forgetting the y to i change and writing 'happyness'; the y follows a consonant so it becomes happiness.
Common mistake: writing 'shun' for the -tion ending, as in 'stashun'; that noun ending is nearly always -tion or -sion.

How to revise this: pick one Greek or Latin root a week, collect six words sharing it and explain how the root gives each its meaning.

Prints the notes only; the quiz is hidden.

How to read a score out of 10

What to do with the result

1. Want the full picture?

The free Skills Check takes about 15 minutes, covers every Year 4 topic including stretch and challenge questions, and sends a same-day topic-by-topic report. A tutor calls to walk you through it, no obligation.

Start the free Skills Check →

2. Printable practice with answers

Our Year 4 practice papers are full-length, curriculum-aligned and come with worked answers, so a student can practise on paper the way the real test is sat.

Browse practice papers →

3. Tutoring in Melbourne's west or online

Small groups from $25 an hour and 1:1 from $35 an hour at our Truganina centre, or online anywhere in Australia. Same tutors, same Skills Check, same progress notes either way.

See English tutoring → All tutoring →

Frequently asked questions

Is this Year 4 phonics and spelling quiz free?

Yes, completely: no sign-up, no email, no payment, and you can take it as many times as you like. It is one of 3,261 free practice questions RHZ Tutoring publishes across Prep to Year 12. Press New set of questions, or add ?seed= to the address, for a different selection from the same topic.

Why only 10 questions on one topic?

Because a single-topic set is the most precise free check available: if the score is low, the gap is in phonics and spelling and nowhere else. There are 15 eligible questions on this topic in our Year 4 English bank, so several different sets are available before any repeat.

Where do the phonics and spelling questions come from?

From RHZ Tutoring's own Year 4 English question bank, written to the Victorian Curriculum, checked by a tutor and passed through an automated quality gate. The same bank feeds our tutoring sessions and the free Skills Check. The questions on this page sit at the easy and at-level tiers.

What should I do if the score is low?

Read the explanation for each incorrect answer first; most gaps in phonics and spelling are one of the misconceptions listed on this page. Then try a second set a few days later. If it is still low, the free Skills Check will show whether the gap is confined to this topic, and a tutor can build a short catch-up plan.

Is there a mixed Year 4 English quiz?

Yes. The Year 4 English quiz spreads ten questions across every topic for the year, and the hub lists topic quizzes for every year level from Prep to Year 12.

Free Year 4 Phonics & spelling Quiz — 10 Questions, Instant Results

What phonics and spelling covers in Year 4 English