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✏️Spelling

Spelling common words

✏️

Spelling Words Correctly

Key Points

  • Use 'i before e, except after c' (believe, receive)
  • Double the final consonant before adding -ing or -ed (running, stopped)
  • Silent letters: knife (k is silent), write (w is silent), knight (k,gh are silent)
  • Tricky words: because, friend, beautiful, necessary, weird

📘 Examples

❓ Spell the word for a close companion

✅ FRIEND: F-R-I-E-N-D (i before e!)

❓ Add -ing to 'run'

✅ Running! Double the 'n' before -ing: run → runn-ing!

❓ Which is correct: 'recieve' or 'receive'?

✅ RECEIVE! After c, use e-i: re-C-E-I-ve!

🌟 Fun Fact!

The word 'queue' has 4 silent letters! You only pronounce the 'Q' — the 'ueue' is silent! 😄

English spelling is irregular enough that pure memorisation feels like the only option, but it is more patterned than it appears. Around half of English words are spelled exactly as they sound, and a further large share follow reliable rules.

Teaching the patterns rather than word lists alone is what generalises. A child who knows why the e is dropped before adding -ing can spell words they have never seen.

Common difficulties

  • Homophones such as their, there, and they're, which sound identical and cannot be worked out by sound.
  • Doubling consonants incorrectly when adding endings, as in runing or stoping.
  • Silent letters, particularly in words like knee, write, and lamb.
  • Words that break the patterns, such as said, because, and friend, which genuinely do need memorising.

How to practise at home

  • Use look, cover, write, check. Retrieval from memory is what builds spelling, whereas copying does not.
  • Teach patterns rather than isolated words, so the learning transfers to unfamiliar ones.
  • Focus on the specific part of a word that goes wrong rather than rewriting the whole thing.
  • Read widely. Broad reading exposure is one of the strongest predictors of spelling ability.

Frequently asked questions

Why is English spelling so irregular?
Because English borrowed heavily from other languages and its spelling was largely fixed before pronunciation finished changing. Even so, roughly half of words are spelled as they sound and many others follow reliable rules.
How can I help with tricky homophones?
Teach a memory link for each, such as there containing here for a place. Homophones cannot be worked out from sound, so they need a different strategy from ordinary spelling.
Does copying out spellings help?
Less than testing does. Look, cover, write, check works because it requires retrieval from memory, whereas copying can be done without engaging memory at all.