A Rule Of Spelling: Delete The ‘E’ And Add A ‘Y’

When we write words such as shine, smoke, scale, bone, ice, shake, stone, brine, slime, grime, wire… in their adjectival form, the above rule of spelling is applicable.

Hence: shiny ribbon, smoky sky, scaly skin, bony leg, icy waters, shaky hands, stony path, briny liquid, slimy pond, grimy surface, wiry figure.

Therefore, shouldn’t we spell the colloquial adjectives pricy and dicy, as such? Although I must admit that I prefer the usage of dear, expensive or exorbitant and risky, perilous, hazardous, dangerous or unsafe, respectively.

It would appear that the rule applies when the noun’s penultimate letter is a consonant.

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