Ask a family member or friend to help you learn the letter sounds. As an alternative you can watch videos online that show you how to say each letter. Here’s one to get you started: https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=pyKdUpJQBTY
If the word has more than one syllable, separate them mentally or in writing. Pronounce each syllable individually. For example, the word “probably” is very easy to misspell if you pronounce it “probly. " Saying it slowly – “prob-ab-ly” – can help you hear the sounds in each syllable.
It helps to count out the number of sounds in the word. For example, let’s say you want to spell the word “tiger. " You might hear four sounds: t-i-g-er.
For a harder word you may need to refer to the spelling rules instead of just sounding the word out.
Break larger words into smaller words. For example, “baseball” is an example of what’s known as a “compound” word: it can be broken into smaller words, in this case “base” and “ball. " Break up non-compound words into syllables. For example, you would break up “hospital” into three syllables this way: hos-pi-tal. Break the word into convenient parts. For instance, “impossible” can be broken into im/poss/ible. Here you’re not breaking the word into syllables, just artificial segments. The idea is to consider a longer word in shorter sections just so the task of spelling it becomes a bit easier.
Mis, as in “misspell” Dis, as in “disagree” Un, as in “unlikely” Re, as in “rewrite” Anti, as in “antifreeze” De, as in “dehydrate” Non, as in “nonsense” Fore, as in “forecast” In, as in “injustice” Im, as in “impossible” Note that most of these prefixes mean “not. "
Ed, as in “spelled” Ing, as in “spelling” Ly, as in “likely” Ful, as in “beautiful” Able, as in “comfortable” Ible, as in “possible” Er, as in “higher” Ment, as in “enjoyment” Ness, as in “happiness” Est, as in “biggest”
Check your spelling by sounding out the word. Would the spelling you’ve used sound right? For example, when spelling “remind,” you could break it down into “re” and “mind. " If you know how the prefix “re” is spelled, write that first. Then you just need to spell “mind. " If you aren’t sure how to spell it, you could sound out “mind” as “m” and “ind. " Then select the letters as you hear them.
While it helps to know the exceptions, don’t try to learn them all at once. If you absorb them gradually, they won’t seem so frustrating. Your best bet is simply to memorize the spellings that don’t conform to the rules.
If the i/e combination is followed immediately by a “gh” (as in weight or height), the “e” precedes the “i. " It’s another exception you simply have to memorize. A few other words to memorize (that don’t follow the “i before e” rule) include “either,” “neither,” “leisure,” “protein,” “their,” and “weird. ”
For example, you hear the “o” sound in the word “coat,” so you know the “o” comes first. You hear the “e” sound in “mean,” so you put the “e” first. Once again there are exceptions to this rule that you will need to memorize, such as “you,” “great,” and “phoenix. ”
Gn, pn, and kn: These letter combinations all have an “n” sound. The other letter is silent. Examples are “gnaw,” “pneumonia” and “knock. " Rh and wr: Both of these combinations have an “r” sound. For example, rhyme and “write. Ps and sc: These combinations both make an “s” sound, as in psychic and science. Wh: Sometimes “wh” sounds like “h,” as in “whole. " “Gh” is often silent, especially if it comes after “i. ” This happens in words like “right” and weight. " Sometimes “gh” makes an “f” sound, as in “cough” or “tough. "
