Spelling
Why is it so hard?
Spelling is often the part of learning English which causes the most frustration
for learners of English. Our spelling system is complicated, largely due to the
numerous languages which have influenced English over the centuries. Also
we don’t spell very phonetically as many other languages do ie with the
same sound always represented by the same letter.
What can we do to make it easier?
Many students feel overwhelmed by their problems with spelling so a
systematic approach can help.
 Find out how the student currently learns or remembers spellings,
 introduce other strategies (see below),
 work with them over a few weeks to see which strategies work best
and then encourage them to continue using these,
 work with the student to create a spelling notebook or folder,
 work with the student to set a goal of learning x amount of spellings per
week (some may carry over to the next week),
 work with the student to ensure they use these words in writing during
your lesson, over the week and beyond.
Relevance
There’s little point learning random words which have no use or relevance.
The words being learned must come either from the student themselves
(words heard or read through conversations, TV, signs, junk mail etc.) or from
a topic you are both currently working on because they need it, eg health,
telling their story. Also, with a beginner learner you don’t have to start with
‘easy’ words as we did at school (cat, sat, mat). Start with something like
their name and address as it’s vital that they can spell this correctly. So many
people end up with their name/address spelt incorrectly on official
documents and it causes endless trouble.
Context
As with vocabulary (which of course is intrinsically linked to spelling), spelling
should never be taught out of context. Relevance has been mentioned
above, but you can also contextualise by:
 the student writing each word in a sentence;
 working with the student to write something longer using the words:
a letter, paragraph, story etc.;
 learning words together which have a similar pattern eg –tion
ending, ie, gh and then doing the above.
Spelling strategies
Look, say, cover, write, check
This is a classic method from adult Literacy. The student looks at the word,
says it, covers it up, has a go at writing it, uncovers and checks letter by letter
then repeats the cycle until they get it right. They then write the word again
after a day, a week and 4 weeks (or other timings which work for them) to
check whether they have remembered. You’ll find a sample sheet at the
end.
Memory tricks or Mnemonics
Mnemonics are simple tricks students can use to help commit spellings to
memory, they involve associating the spelling of a word or part of a word
with other words and have proven to be a successful learning strategy for
many people. You’ll need to provide some examples to aid
understanding of the concept, but students will be more successful if they
create their own mnemonics for the words they have trouble spelling. They
can be silly and tangenital, and they work with any level of learner, but they
don’t work for everyone.
A few examples:
meat – ‘I like to eat meat.’
meet – ‘meet Erica every Thursday.’
secretary – ‘Her secretary can't keep a secret.’
necessary – ‘never eat chocolate eat salad sandwiches’ (the c and ss
are most confusing so you don’t need a memory aid for the whole word).
Focus on the shape of the word
The student simply draws a line around the word, traces around it with their
finger or cuts it out, to emphasise its shape. This works because when we
encounter a written word, our eye sees the whole word not individual letters.
Be careful that a student doesn’t use this method too much though as they
also need some phonic knowledge (see below).
Split the word up
Any word which the student finds long is much less daunting and easier to
tackle when split up. We usually split into syllables, but you can also split single
syllable words.
in – for – ma – tion
kn – ee
doc - tor
This can be done by writing, cutting up, writing in different colours, using
highlighters or orally.
Phonic methods
These focus on the relationship between single or combined letters and the
sound they represent, eg the two sounds made by th (in that and thin). It
works better with consonants as they generally represent the same sound
consistently. If a student can learn these letter-sound relationships they will be
at least part way to having a go at reading and remembering new words.
Vowels are trickier, but there is some consistency, for example in three letter
words with a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, the vowel usually
represents a short vowel sound eg in man, big, met, put, dog.
Rules might be inconsistent, so find patterns
Students can get frustrated with how often spelling rules are broken, so focus
instead on patterns. Learn ‘chips’, ‘cheese’ and ‘chicken’ together, maybe
along with ‘church’ (already known to the student). Making silly sentences,
rhymes, poems or stories can help here eg ‘I never eat chicken and chips in
church, but the preacher likes cheese.’ This can provide light relief from the
likes of ‘I like chicken but I don’t like cheese.’, which of course is very useful
too, it can just get dull.
You can use a sentence or address to find a pattern, this example is from
‘Teaching Basic Literacy to ESOL students.’ Again the student will already
know at least some of these words, so they are building on prior knowledge.
32, Faircroft Road, Banbury
hair of soap
an burger
air soft
and
‘She washes her hair with a soft soap then goes for a burger.’
‘The air in Spring is soft and warm on my skin.’
A type of pattern - prefixes and suffixes
Prefixes appear at the start of words eg un-, dis-. Suffixes appear at the end
eg –tion, -er. The bit in the middle is the root word. So if the word ‘teacher’
comes up, add ‘manager’ and ‘preacher’ (forgetting about ‘doctor’ for
now). The –er signifies a person who does something (teaches, manages,
preaches).
Auditory, visual and kinesthetic
Or in plain English listening, seeing and feeling/doing. It is contested and
probably over-simplistic, but I’d say there’s definitely some truth in the idea
that most of us are stronger in one or two of these areas and can use this to
learn better. So, for spelling the following might be useful (all to be used at
the ‘look’ stage of look, cover etc. if you’re using that method):
Auditory
As already mentioned, English is not very phonetically spelt, but there are still
ways to learn it in a more auditory way:
 break words into chunks/syllables and say each, even if it means
saying some in a wrong or exaggerated way eg Wed-nes-day;
 say each chunk/syllable while tapping a surface, clapping etc.;
 use phonic methods as described above.
Visual
 Use coloured pens or highlighters to highlight particular parts of
words/letter combinations eg the patterns described above.
 Focus on ‘words within words’ eg meat, in for mation.
 Draw round words to focus on their shape, with pen or finger.
 Use coloured paper, coloured pens, lots of pictures/flashcards.
 Focus on patterns (see above).
Kinesthetic (feeling/doing)
 Writing and therefore spelling ‘flow’ much better with cursive (joined
up) writing. Encourage this from the start, or at least a partial version eg
joining the letters you are focusing on such as the –er ending;
 Encourage the student to write the word in the air, on part of their
body (palm, leg, arm) or trace it out with their finger on the paper;
 Try using a computer instead of a pen, part of the time at least;
 Don’t expect the student to sit very still for ages!
These ideas can sound simplistic, even childish, but can make a real
difference. For example, when studying I struggled with reading and
retaining large amounts of text until, while training to be a teacher, someone
suggested I use a highlighter and a few coloured pens to make notes whilst
reading. The difference was phenomenal. That’s just one personal example,
but I do think this theory it has its uses.
Self checking
Learning to self-correct is important. Generally we learn more from making a
mistake and correcting it ourselves than if someone else does so. Resist the
urge to correct! Encourage the student to do it:
 say what they wrote with a questioning tone/look – ‘two mans?’;
 point to the part of the word that is wrong with a questioning look;
 remind the student of a recent lesson – ‘do all plurals have an –s?’
Always leave a good long silence to allow the student to think and respond.
Of course, if they really can’t remember then do correct for them.
Practice, practice, practice
As with any other aspect of language learning, endless practice is needed
and this needs to be done in different ways. I’ve mentioned spelling
books/folders and putting words into sentences and texts above, other ideas
are puzzles, worksheets, games, wordsearches and online activities. I can
send or direct you to all of these. Also, the student needs to understand the
importance of repeating the work you have done together on their own
between lessons, eg writing words out.
A word about spelling tests. To most of us they feel old fashioned,
behaviourist or downright dull. They don’t suit everyone but I’ve found that
students often ask for them and really benefit from and enjoy them.