Focus: vowel choices (page 1)
beat
beet
bite
bleat
bright
cheat
eat
feet
fight
fleet
flight
fright
heat
height
kite
knight
light
meat
meet
might
mite
neat
night
peat
plight
quite
right
seat
sheet
sight
site
sleet
slight
spite
sweet
tight
treat
wheat
white
write
Focus: unstressed vowels (page 2)
abandoned
abominable
alcohol
animal
astronomy
benefit
boundary
business
carpet
category
Catholic
centre
company
compromise
conference
consonant
corporal
deafening
definite
definitely
describe
description
desperate
dictionary
difference
different
disinterest
doctor
easily
explanatory
extra
factory
familiar
family
fattening
February
flattery
formal
freedom
frightening
general
generally
generous
geography
grammar
heaven
history
holiday
hospital
illiterate
interest
interested
January
jewellery
journalist
lettuce
library
literacy
literate
literature
locomotive
lottery
margarine
marvellous
mathematics
medicine
memorable
messenger
miniature
miserable
offering
original
parallel
parliament
poisonous
predict
prepare
primary
prosperous
reference
Saturday
secretary
separate
signature
similar
skeleton
smuggler
stationary
stationery
telephone
television
vegetable
voluntary
Wednesday
widening
Focus: doubling consonants (page 3)
Doubled letters
beg
big
dig
drag
drop
fit
hug
begged
bigger
digging
dragging
dropping
fitter
hugging
beggar
biggest
digger
dragged
dropped
fittest
hugged
hum
mop
run
stop
sun
wet
win
humming
mopping
runner
stopper
sunny
wetter
winning
hummed
mopped
running
stopped
sunnier
wettest
winner
Undoubled letters
beep
blast
burn
count
disgust
beeping
blasting
burner
counter
disgusted
beeped
blasted
burning
counted
disgusting
dream
feel
help
train
trick
dreamer
feeling
helped
trainer
tricky
dreaming
feeler
helper
trained
tricked
dining
hiding
dinner
hidden
ride
write
riding
writing
ridden
written
circuit
circular
circulation
circumference
circumstance
circus
cistern
citizen
city
civil
decide
decimal
decision
decisive
disciple
discipline
incident
incisor
recital
recite
cellar
cellophane
cement
cemetery
census
cent
centenary
centigrade
centipede
centre
century
cereal
ceremony
certain
certificate
deceased
deceit
December
decent
descend
discern
except
incense
receive
recent
Contrasting sets
dine
hide
Focus: the soft c (page 4)
Ci
accident
cinema
cinnamon
circle
ce
ceiling
celebrate
celebrity
celery
cell
cy
bicycle
cyanide
cyclic
cyclist
cyclone
cylinder
cynic
cynical
cypress
cyst
fancy
lacy
mercy
recycle
Focus: pluralisation s/es (page 5)
Typical words
balloon
boy
day
dog
girl
meal
school
sister
word
Hissing and buzzing words
balloons
boys
days
dogs
girls
meals
schools
sisters
words
box
bus
church
dish
fox
kiss
lunch
patch
watch
boxes
buses
churches
dishes
foxes
kisses
lunches
patches
watches
Focus: words ending in y (page 6)
Vowel + y words
boy
buoy
buy
day
donkey
key
monkey
quay
tray
Consonant + y words
boys
buoys
buys
days
donkeys
keys
monkey
quays
trays
Focus: words ending in f and fe (page 7)
f and fe endings
calf
half
life
loaf
scarf
self
thief
calves
halves
lives
loaves
scarves
selves
thieves
baby
city
cry
fly
jelly
lolly
lorry
party
puppy
try
worry
babies
cities
cries
flies
jellies
lollies
lorries
parties
puppies
tries
worries
wolf
knife
wife
wolves
knives
wives
Focus: plurals of words which end with vowels other than e ( page 8)
List 1
anacondas
areas
armadillos
bananas
banjos
bhajis
bongos
cameras
casinos
cellos
chapa(t)is
concertos
corgis
cuckoos
dahlias
discos
ECUs
emus
fiestas
galas
geckos
gnus
gurus
haikus
igloos
jumbos
kangaroos
kimonos
kiwis
magnolias
matzos
oratorios
paellas
pagodas
pastas
patios
pianos
piazzas
piccolos
pizzas
pumas
radios
risottos
rotas
sambas
samosas
saunas
siestas
skis
sofas
solos
sombreros
sonatas
tarantulas
tattoos
tombolas
umbrellas
violas
visas
yoyos
dominoes
echoes
haloes
heroes
mangoes
potatoes
tomatoes
torpedoes
vetoes
volcanoes
criteria
fungi
macaroni
paparazzi
phenomena
ravioli
spaghetti
strata
zoos
zulus
List 2
buffaloes
cargoes
dingoes
List 3
antennae
bacteria
Focus: irregular plurals (9)
Irregular plurals
antenna
child
deer
foot
formula
goose
larva
louse
man
mouse
antennae
children
deer
feet
formulae
geese
larvae
lice
men
mice
tagliatelle
sheep
tooth
woman
sheep
teeth
women
Focus: vowel suffixes (page 10)
al
ary
ic
ist
ive
er
est
additional
exceptional
medical
national
occasional
personal
seasonal
sensational
anniversary
acidic
allergic
analytic
comic
dramatic
energetic
horrific
manic
photographic
scientific
terrific
artist
balloonist
dramatist
extremist
instrumentalist
journalist
machinist
novelist
specialist
stockist
violinist
alliterative
alternative
apprehensive
comprehensive
corrective
derivative
discursive
exhaustive
explosive
investigative
retrospective
baker
driver
farmer
islander
manager
poorer
reader
richer
teenager
villager
voyager
cleverest
driest
fiercest
funniest
handsomest
nastiest
neatest
poorest
richest
strongest
tallest
dictionary
library
missionary
necessary
revolutionary
stationary
Focus: consonant suffixes (page 11)
ly
ful
less
actually
especially
eventually
friendly
kindly
likely
originally
personally
properly
really
weekly
beautiful
forgetful
hateful
hopeful
merciful
painful
pitiful
resentful
sorrowful
successful
wishful
careless
endless
fearless
headless
homeless
jobless
lifeless
merciless
speechless
thankless
thoughtless
Focus: words ending in y (page 12)
empty
happy
heavy
hungry
lazy
pretty
ready
trendy
windy
emptier
happier
heavier
hungrier
lazier
prettier
readier
trendier
windier
emptiest
happiest
heaviest
hungriest
laziest
prettiest
readiest
trendiest
windiest
emptily
happily
heavily
hungrily
lazily
prettily
readily
trendily
windily
ally
carry
marry
modify
reply
supply
try
vary
allying
carrying
marrying
modifying
replying
supplying
trying
varying
allied
carried
married
modified
replied
supplied
tried
varied
alliance
carriage
marriage
modification
reply
supplier
trial
variety
emptiness
happiness
heaviness
laziness
prettiness
readiness
trendiness
Focus: modifying words ending in e (page 13)
Some words as starting points for investigation
article
attainable
bike
care
cycle
fake
force
frame
free
game
hassle
home
hope
life
like
lone
make
nice
poke
possible
programme
rake
realise
rule
shame
sure
tackle
take
tangible
terrorise
time
tune
use
voyage
wrestle
wrinkle
Focus: able and ible (page 14)
ible
able
credible
edible
forcible
horrible
indestructible
invincible
legible
possible
responsible
reversible
susceptible
tangible
terrible
adorable
agreeable
breakable
disposable
enjoyable
enviable
identifiable
manageable
miserable
miserable
reliable
respectable
valuable
Focus: ful suffixes (page 15)
Typical ful words
boast
care
colour
doubt
faith
boastful
careful
colourful
doubtful
faithful
fear
hand
harm
hope
mouth
fearful
handful
harmful
hopeful
mouthful
play
scorn
shame
thank
wake
playful
scornful
shameful
thankful
wakeful
beautiful
bountiful
fancy
mercy
fanciful
merciful
pity
plenty
pitiful
plentiful
y words
beauty
bounty
Focus: words ending with cian, sion and tion (page 16)
cian
sion
ssion
tion
other
dietician
electrician
magician
musician
optician
physician
politician
collision
confusion
corrosion
exclusion
explosion
extension
infusion
transfusion
discussion
mission
oppression
passion
percussion
possession
profession
session
attention
diction
direction
faction
fiction
fraction
proportion
reduction
asian
ocean
russian
venetian
ation
etion
ition
otion
ution
demonstration
education
foundation
nation
station
translation
completion
deletion
depletion
secretion
competition
intuition
opposition
petition
position
repetition
devotion
emotion
lotion
motion
notion
promotion
constitution
contribution
distribution
institution
pollution
revolution
Focus: antonym prefixes
in
im
ir
il
mis
non
un
inaccurate
inactive
inattentive
incapable
inconvenient
incredible
indecent
immature
immobile
impatient
impolite
impossible
impractical
improbable
improper
irrational
irregular
irresistible
irresponsible
illegal
illegible
illiterate
misbehave
miscalculate
miscount
misdeal
misfire
misfortune
mishear
misinform
misplace
misread
mistake
non-drip
non-fiction
nonsense
non-smoker
non-starter
non-stick
non-stop
non-violent
unfortunate
unfounded
unhelpful
unlikely
unrealistic
unreasonable
anti
antibiotic
antibody
anticlimax
anticline
anticlockwise
anticyclone
antifreeze
antihero
antiseptic
Focus: common prefixes (page 18)
Prefixes and meanings
anti
bi
contra
de
in
pro
re
ex
against
two
against
undo
not
ahead
again
out of
Roots to work with
inter
mis
non
pre
sub
sus
un
between
wrong
not
before
under
under
not
act
awaken
clean
dead
face
grow
live
make
marine
place
sleep
visit
write
Focus: a prefixes (page 19)
ad
addition
adjacent
adjective
adjoin
adjust
admire
advance
advent
adverb
advise
al
almighty
almost
alone
already
alright
also
although
altogether
always
a
aboard
afield
aground
alert
aloft
amoral
apart
astride
awake
away
abide
ablaze
abloom
afloat
aglitter
alive
another
around
asleep
atonal
ab
abandon
abdicate
abduct
aberrant
abjure
abscond
abseil
absolve
Focus: classical prefixes (page 20)
auto
autobiography
autodidact
autograph
automatic
automaton
automobile
autopsy
circum
circle
circular
circulate
circumference
circumnavigate
circumstance
circumvent
circus
bi
biceps
bicycle
bifocals
bilingual
biped
biplane
bisect
tele
telegenic
telegraph
telepathy
telephone
telephoto
telescope
television
trans
transatlantic
transfer
translate
transmit
transparent
transplant
transport
micro
microcosm
microfilm
micrometer
microphone
microscopic
micro-skirt
aqua
aquaplane
aquarium
Aquarius
aquatic
aero
aerodrome
aerodynamics
aeronaut
aeroplane
audi
audible
audience
audition
auditorium
re
reconsider
repeat
replay
reply
prim
primary
primate
prime
primrose
super
superman
supernatural
supernova
superpower
supersede
ear
bear
dear
dreary
earn
fear
gear
hear
hearth
learn
wear
weary
ight
bright
eight
fight
freight
height
light
might
night
right
sight
tight
weight
ice
Alice
apprentice
dice
mice
nice
notice
police
practice
rice
spice
twice
aus
Australia
Austria
because
cause
clause
claustrophobia
pause
sausage
bye
sent
reign
rowed
sew
their
too
you
so
they’re
two
yew
sow
there
to
ewe
Focus: common letter clusters (page 21)
our
armour
flour
hour
journey
mourn
ourselves
pour
sour
tour
your
ough
cough
drought
enough
plough
rough
slough
thorough
though
thought
through
tough
trough
wrought
Focus: homophones (page 22)
by
cent
rein
rode
buy
scent
rain
road
aloud
are
beach
bean
blue
board
break
cell
cereal
dear
fate
flour
grate
hair
herd
here
allowed
our
beech
been
blew
bored
brake
sell
serial
deer
fete
flower
great
hare
heard
hear
him
hole
hour
in
key
knight
knot
know
leak
made
main
meet
might
morning
new
pane
hymn
whole
our
inn
quay
night
not
no
leek
maid
mane
meat
mite
mourning
knew
pain
peace
place
plane
read
right
scene
see
stair
steel
sum
sun
tail
through
vain
waist
week
Focus: common roots
Words derived from other languages
from graphein – write
from annus – year
graph
annual
photograph
anniversary
from dictare – to say
dictator
dictionary
from mikro – small
microscope
microlight
from manus – hand
manual
manuscript
from mort – dead
mortgage
mortuary
from octo – eight
octagon
octopus
from aqua – water
aquarium
aqueduct
from roi – king
royal
royalty
from skopein – to see
telescope
microscope
from unus – one
unit
union
from presse – press
express
pressure
from ge – earth
geology
geography
from insula – island
insulation
peninsula
from voix –voice
voice
vocal
from naus – ship
nausea
nautical
from specere – to look
spectator
spectrum
from bloc – block
blockage
blockade
piece
plaice
plain
reed
write
seen
sea
stare
steal
some
son
tale
threw
vein
waste
weak
Focus: word families and spelling patterns (page 24)
act
child
electric
sign
take
actor
children
electrical
signatory
mistake
action
childhood
electricity
signature
mistaken
activity
childlike
electrician
signal
overtaken
react
childish
electronic
resign
overtaking
reaction
childless
electrocute
resignation
partaking
assist
balance
bore
call
claim
cover
examine
give
govern
hand
hero
joy
light
assistant
imbalance
boring
recall
reclaim
discover
examination
given
governor
handler
heroic
joyful
lightning
assistance
unbalanced
boredom
calling
reclamation
discovery
examiner
forgiveness
government
handicraft
heroism
enjoyment
delighted
machine
medic
obey
operate
pack
pain
pass
press
prison
prove
public
relate
shake
machinery
medical
disobey
cooperate
packet
painkiller
passage
impress
imprisoned
approval
publication
relative
shakily
machinist
medication
disobedient
cooperation
package
painstaking
passenger
depression
imprisonment
disapprove
publicity
relation
shaken
Focus: apostrophes for omission (page 26)
Pronouns
Other contractions
I’m
You’re
He’s
She’s
We’re
They’re
I’ll
You’ll
He’ll
She’ll
We’ll
They’ll
I’ve
You’ve
He’s
She’s
We’ve
They’ve
Focus: possessive pronouns (page 27)
1
2
3
I
you
my
your
mine
yours
I’d
You’d
He’d
She’d
We’d
They’d
aren’t
can’t
couldn’t
doesn’t
don’t
hadn’t
haven’t
ma’am
o’clock
shan’t
‘tis
weren’t
won’t
he
she
it
we
they
his
her
its
our
their
his
hers
its
ours
theirs
Focus: using visual strategies to improve spelling (page 33)
Beautiful
Benefited
Chaos
Character
Chemistry
Conscience
Cupboard
Description
Environment
February
fiend
hymn
jealous
jewellery
knight
liaison
library
medicine
miniature
mnemonics
parliament
psyche
psychiatrist
psychologist
rhyme
rhythm
separate
siege
Wednesday
Appendix 1: Spelling list (page 36)
accommodation
actually
alcohol
although
analyse/analysis
argument
assessment
atmosphere
audible
audience
autumn
beautiful
beginning
believe
beneath
buried
business
caught
chocolate
climb
column
concentration
conclusion
conscience
conscious
consequence
evidence
explanation
February
fierce
forty
fulfil
furthermore
guard
happened
health
height
imaginary
improvise
industrial
interesting
interrupt
issue
jealous
knowledge
listening
lonely
lovely
marriage
material
meanwhile
miscellaneous
possession
potential
preparation
prioritise
process
proportion
proposition
questionnaire
queue
reaction
receive
reference
relief
remember
research
resources
safety
Saturday
secondary
separate
sequence
shoulder
sincerely
skilful
soldier
stomach
continuous
creation
daughter
decide/decision
definite
design
development
diamond
diary
disappear
disappoint
embarrass
energy
engagement
enquire
environment
evaluation
mischief
modern
moreover
murmur
necessary
nervous
original
outrageous
parallel
participation
pattern
peaceful
people
performance
permanent
persuade/persuasion
physical
straight
strategy
strength
success
surely
surprise
survey
technique
technology
texture
tomorrow
unfortunately
Wednesday
weight
weird
women
Common homophones and confusion (page 37)
a lot/allot
advise/advice
affect/effect
allowed/aloud
bought/brought
braking/breaking
choose/chose
cloth/clothe
conscience/conscious
course/coarse
our/are
practise/practice
quiet/quite
sites/sights
source/sauce
threw/through
to/too/two
Appendix 2: Subject spelling lists (page 38)
Art
abstract
acrylic
charcoal
collage
collection
colour
easel
exhibition
foreground
frieze
gallery
highlight
landscape
palette
pastel
perspective
portrait
sketch
crosshatch
dimension
display
illusion
impast
kiln
spectrum
D and T
aesthetic
brief
carbohydrate
component
design
diet
disassemble
evaluation
fabric
fibre
flour
flowchart
hygiene
ingredient
innovation
knife/knives
linen
machine
manufacture
mineral
natural
nutrition
polyester
portfolio
presentation
production
protein
recipe
sew
specification
technology
tension
textile
vitamin
Drama
applause
character/characteristics
costume
curtain
director
dramatise
entrance
exit
freeze
improvise
inspire
lighting
movement
perform/performance
playwright
position
rehearse/rehearsal
role
scene/scenario
script
share
spotlight
stage
theatre/theatrical
English
advertise/advertisement
alliteration
apostrophe
atmosphere
chorus
clause
cliché
comma
comparison
conjunction
consonant
dialogue
exclamation
expression
figurative
genre
grammar
imagery
metaphor
myth
narrative/narrator
onomatopoeia
pamphlet
paragraph
personification
playwright
plural
prefix
preposition
resolution
rhyme
scene
simile
soliloquy
subordinate
suffix
synonym
tabloid
vocabulary
vowel
Geography
abroad
amenity
atlas
authority
climate
contour
country
county
desert
employment
erosion
estuary
function
globe
habitat
infrastructure
international
landscape
latitude
location
longitude
nation/national
physical
pollution
poverty
provision
region/regional
rural
settlement
situation
tourist/tourism
transport/transportation
urban
wealth
weather
defence
disease
document
dynasty
economy/economical
emigration
government
immigrant
imperial/imperialism
independence
invasion
motive
parliament
politics/political
priest
propaganda
Protestant
rebel/rebellion
reign
religious
republic
revolt/revolution
siege
source
trade
traitor
hardware
icon
input
interactive
interface
internet
justify
keyboard
megabyte
memory
modem
module
monitor
network
output
password
preview
processor
program
scanner
sensor
server
software
spreadsheet
virus
History
agriculture/agricultural
bias
castle
cathedral
Catholic
chronology/chronological
citizen
civilisation
colony/colonisation
conflict
constitution/constitutional
contradict/contradiction
current
ICT
binary
byte
cable
cartridge
CD-ROM
computer
connect/connection
cursor
data/database
delete
disk
document
electronic
graphic
multimedia
Library
alphabet/alphabetical
anthology
article
author
catalogue
classification
content
copyright
dictionary
editor
encyclopaedia
extract
fantasy
genre
glossary
index
irrelevant/irrelevance
librarian
magazine
non-fiction
novel
photocopy
publisher
relevant/relevance
romance
section
series
system
thesaurus
Mathematics
addition
adjacent
alternate
angle
amount
approximately
average
axis/axes
calculate
centimetre
circumference
corresponding
co-ordinate
decimal
degree
denominator
diameter
digit
divide/division
equilateral
estimate
equation
fraction
graph
guess
horizontal
isosceles
kilogram
kilometre
litre
measure
metre
minus
multiply/multiplication
negative
numerator
parallel/parallelogram
percentage
perimeter
perpendicular
positive
quadrilateral
questionnaire
radius
ratio
recurring
reflect/reflection
regular/irregular
rhombus
rotate/rotation
square
subtraction
symmetry/symmetrical
tonne
triangle/triangular
vertex/vertices
vertical
volume
weight
Music
choir
chord
chromatic
composition/conductor
crotchet
dynamics
harmony
instrument/instrumental
interval
lyric
major
melody
minim
minor
musician
octave
orchestra/orchestral
ostinato
percussion
pitch
quaver
rhythm
scale
score
semibreve
synchronise
syncopation
tempo
ternary
timbre
triad
vocal
PE
active/activity
agile/agility
athletic/athlete
bicep
exercise
field
gym/gymnastic
hamstring
injury
league
medicine
mobile/mobility
muscle
personal
pitch
quadriceps
qualify
relay
squad
tactic
tournament
triceps
PSHE
able/ability
achieve/achievement
addict/addiction
approve/approval
communication
control
dependent/dependency
discipline
discussion
effort
emotion/emotional
encourage/encouragement
gender
generous/generosity
involve/involvement
prefer/preference
pressure
racism/racist
reality
relationship
represent/representative
reward
sanction
sexism/sexist
stereotype
RE
baptism
Bible/biblical
Buddhist/Buddhism
Burial
celebrate/celebration
ceremony
Christian
commandment
commitment
creation
disciple
faith
festival
funeral
Hindu/Hinduism
hymn
immoral/immorality
Islam
Israel
Judaism/Jewish
marriage
miracle
moral/morality
Muslim
parable
pilgrim/pilgrimage
pray/prayer
prejudice
Science
absorb
acid
alkaline
amphibian
apparatus
chemical
circulate/circulation
combustion
condensation
cycle
digest/digestion
element
evaporation
exchange
freeze
frequency
friction
function
growth
hazard
insect
laboratory
liquid
mammal
method
nutrient
organism
oxygen
particles
predator
pressure
reproduce
respire/respiration
solution
temperature
thermometer
vertebrate
vessel
prophet
religious/religion
shrine
sign
Sikh/Sikhism
special
spirit/spiritual
symbol
synagogue
temple
wedding
worship
Appendix 3: Sample spelling investigation (page 43)
army
ash
baby
berry
book
box
boy
brush
bush
church
city
clasp
day
delay
desk
armies
ashes
babies
berries
books
boxes
boys
brushes
bushes
churches
cities
clasps
days
delays
desks
dish
display
donkey
fly
fox
game
glass
hat
inch
jelly
key
kiss
lip
monkey
party
dishes
displays
donkeys
flies
foxes
games
glasses
hats
inches
jellies
keys
kisses
lips
monkeys
parties
pen
penny
pocket
puppy
ray
sandwich
school
shoe
table
tax
time
toy
watch
window
witch
pens
pennies
pockets
puppies
rays
sandwiches
schools
shoes
tables
taxes
times
toys
watches
windows
witches
Focus: How the spelling of verbs alter when ing is added (page 44)
Simple – add ing
1
ask
clean
do
dream
go
jump
pack
say
send
think
walk
2
asking
cleaning
doing
dreaming
going
jumping
packing
saying
sending
thinking
walking
Short vowels – double
Drop e + add ing
3
chat
clap
fit
hop
hug
let
plan
run
shop
shut
skip
5
bite
care
decide
drive
hope
make
save
share
shine
take
write
4
chatting
clapping
fitting
hopping
hugging
letting
planning
running
shopping
shutting
skipping
6
biting
caring
deciding
driving
hoping
making
saving
sharing
shining
taking
writing
(page 45)
Base words
age
art
change
class
compose
criminal
critic
decide
educate
escape
happy
hate
help
legal
love
magnet
medicine
mobile
music
reduce
simple
television
Verb to noun
Noun to verb
er
im
ism
ist
ity
ness
ology
tion
ate
en
ify
ise
(page 46)
some useful examples to start with
water
aquarium
aqua
self
automatic
auto
two
bicycle
bi
carry
transport
port
greater
supernatural
super
far off
telephone
tele
across
transport
trans
Aquarius
autograph
biped
portable
superman
television
transplant
aquatic
autobiography
binoculars
import
supernova
telepathy
transfer
aquaplane
automobile
binary
export
superpower
telecommunications
transaction
(page 47)
ie
belief
brief
chief
die
field
fierce
fiery
friend
grief
handkerchief
lie
medieval
mischief
niece
obedient
patient
pie
piece
pier
pierce
priest
quiet
relief
review
shield
shriek
thief
tie
view
yield
cei
ei (long a)
ei (other)
ceiling
conceit
deceit
perceive
receipt
receive
eight
foreign
freight
neighbour
reign
rein
sovereign
veil
vein
weigh
either
height
heir
neither
protein
their
weird