Rule 1: The formula is written with the hydrogen(s) first.
Rule 2: The subscript on the hydrogen is determined by balancing the charges of the hydrogen ion and the anion.
Rule 3: If the anion itself contains hydrogen, then those are left alone in the formula as usual (except for ions such as hydrogen carbonate, in which the hydrogen in the anion is combined with the new acidic hydrogen).
Rule 4: The name of the acid is determined based on the name of the anion, specifically, based on the ending of the anion name. The three possibilities are listed here:
| ANION NAME | ACID NAME |
| -ide | hydro- -ic acid |
| -ite | -ous acid |
| -ate | -ic acid |