Common Spelling Mistakes:

 Using the wrong consonant (e.g., spelling cat as kat)

 Using the wrong vowel (e.g., spelling seat as seet)
 Leaving out consonants (e.g., spelling kicking as kiking)
 Leaving out a vowel (e.g., spelling plain as plan)
 Writing only one consonant, when a consonant should be
doubled (e.g, spelling butter as buter)
 Leaving in an “e” that should be dropped (e.g.,
spelling riding as rideing)
 Reversing letters (e.g., spelling foil as fiol)
 Leaving out the ”silent e” (e.g., spelling kite as kit)
 Using ys instead of ies (e.g., cherrys instead of cherries)
 Spelling words phonetically when a specific suffix should be
used instead (e.g., spelling vacation as vacashin)
 Using an “s” instead of a “c” or a “c” instead of an “s”
(e.g., absense instead of absence or offence instead of offense)
 Forgetting rules like “i before e except after c” (e.g.,
spelling receive as recieve)

While the errors above are the ones I have observed most frequently
in my career as a school psychologist, there are many other types of
spelling errors a person can make.

11 Research-Based Spelling Strategies Parents Can Try at Home:

1)  Practice Phonemic Awareness (hearing individual sounds in

words) and letter sounds. Let your child hear what it sounds like to
break words up into their individual sounds. Show them what happens
when you change a sound. For example, say the sounds in pig
separately (p-i-g), then say the word. Then say the sounds in big (b-i-
g) and say the word. Put it on paper so they can see the change. Talk
about which sounds are different and which sounds are the same.
Have your child practice breaking words apart and blending them
together. For more strategies to teach your child or students phonemic
awareness and letter sounds, see 10 Fun Activities to Teach Your
Child Letter Sounds and How to Teach Phonemic Awareness.
2) Allow Beginners to Spell Phonetically — When first learning to
spell, allow children to spell words exactly as they hear them. Teach
them to say each each sound in a word and write down the letter or
letters that represents each, until they have spelled the word. For
example, they might spell lemon as l-e-m-i-n. Then review the word
with them and talk about which letters they can change to make the
word correct (help them figure out the correct replacement letters if
needed). You can practice this several times with different words. Let
them rewrite the word the correct way and compare the changes.

For children who have trouble writing, allow them to use magnetic

letters to create the word, such as the ones below, or allow them to
type on the computer, if they are able to do so.

They can also create the letters/words out of Play-Doh or Wikki Stix as

shown below.

3) Teach Children to Notice Chunks in Words – Chunks are more

than one letter together that normally make the same sound (e.g., ch,
sh, br, ple, all, ate, at). Have your child practice writing several words
that use the same chunks to establish a sense of word families
(groups of words that have a common feature or pattern). For a fun
and effective way to teach sound chunks and spelling, let your
children or students practice with the game Didax Chunks: The
Incredible Word Building Game  as shown below:

4) Practice Rhyming Words – Teach children about rhyming words

and provide them with several examples. After teaching them how to
rhyme, give them a word and ask them to come up with rhyming
words. Once they have the hang of it, encourage them to tell you a
word and list several words that rhyme with it. Encourage them to
write rhyming words down as well. Allow them to start with a common
word pattern such as “all.” Show them how adding a letter in front of
“all” and changing that letter produces a list of several rhyming words
(e.g., e.g. all, ball, call, fall, hall, mall, tall, wall). Again, for children who
have trouble writing, try typing, magnetic letters, or creating the words
from Play-Doh or Wikki Stix.

The strategies below are for students who have gotten the hang of
phonetic spelling and are ready to or struggling to move to the next
level or for students who are struggling with phonetic spelling and may
do better with memorization or rules.

5) Learn Spelling Rules (also known as rule-based strategies) –

See a list of some common spelling rules below
 Short -Vowel Rule: When a one-syllable word has a vowel in
the middle it is usually a short-vowel sound
(e.g., hat, set, pit , lot, nut)
 Doubling Consonants: If f, l, or s comes after a vowel, the
letter is often doubled (e.g., stuff, call, grass)
 Two-Vowels Together: If two vowels are together, the first
vowel usually says its name and the second vowel is not
heard (e.g. seat, rain, tie)
 Silent e: When a short word has a vowel, a consonant, and then
an “e” or a longer word has that same pattern in the last syllable,
the first vowel is usually long and the e is silent (e.g., cake, kite,
vote, mute, meditate, debate)
 y as a long i: When the letter y comes at the end of a short word
with no other vowel in the word, it makes a long i sound (e.g., dry,
cry, sty, pry)
 y as a long e: When a word has two syllables and the second
syllable is composed of only a y or an ey, the y makes a long e
sound. (e.g., honey, money, bunny, sunny)
 I before E: The rule is “i before e except after c (e.g., receive,
receipt, deceive, conceive) or when sounding like ‘a’ as in neighbor
or weigh.”
 Words with “ch”: Use “ch” at the beginning of words (e.g.
chair, cheese, chin) and “tch” at the end (e.g., watch, witch, patch)

These are only some of the rules in spelling. You can do a Google
Search for common spelling rules to learn more. Please remember
there are always exceptions to spelling rules, meaning that these rules
will not apply to every word in the English language. It can also be
difficult and cumbersome to remember these rules. Strategies for
remembering common spelling rules include the following:

 keep the rules in a place where the child/student can easily refer
to them when spelling, such as in his desk or in his notebook
 discuss the rules when reviewing spelling errors with the child
(for instance, if you and your child are editing his work and you see
he spelled catch as cach, give him a gentle reminder “remember it
 is “ch” at the beginning of words and “tch” at the end” or have him
read and say the rule out loud)
 after reviewing the rule, have him rewrite the word he misspelled
 make flash cards of the rules (you can do this on index cards),
with the name of the rule on the front and the definition on the back
as shown here.

After creating the flash cards, make a game out of it, to make it more
fun for the child. For example, take turns (first you show the front of a
flash card and have your child state the rule. Then have him show a
flash card and you state the rule)

6) Teach Children to Use an Internet Dictionary – Use a site

like dictionary.com . There your child can type in the word he is unsure
of in the search box. If  he spells the word wrong, but the spelling is
somewhat close, the site will ask “Did you mean _________?” For
example if you spell “vacashin” in the search box, a question on the
bottom of the screen pops up that says “Did you mean vacation?”

7) Teach Children to Edit Their Work and Use Repetition

– Encourage children to review their work carefully and rewrite a word
five to ten times when they find a misspelling (ten times is
recommended but this may be too much for some children). It is much
easier to notice spelling errors when rereading work, than to notice
them the first time around when the mistake is made. Many times
spelling errors get ingrained in one’s memory after repeating the same
mistake several times. Writing the word several times in a row helps to
retrain the child’s memory. You can try to make repetition more fun by
turning it into a game. To do this, take turns with the child. (e.g., have
him write the first word 10 times while you watch, then you write the
next word 10 times while he watches – or any other turn taking
variation).
Side-Note * Some children are more willing to complete this type of
task when they can see a visual of how many times they are expected
to write the word. For instance, number the paper 1 to 10.

8) Show How Different Sounds Can Be Represented in Different

Ways — For example, the /k/ sound can be represented with a c as in
cat, a k as in kangaroo, a ck as in kick, or a ch as in school.

9) Teach Children to Test Their Spelling – Create spelling lists

or spelling flash cards on index cards. You can create them for your
child, with your child, or encourage your child to create them himself.
You can also purchase spelling flash cards or search for free spelling
lists on the internet such as the ones at VocabularySpellingCity.com.

Teach Your Child To Test Their Spelling Using These Four Steps:
1. Look at the word and pay attention to the spelling and what the
word looks like
2. Cover up the word with his hand or turn the flash card around.
3. Visualize the word in his mind, and then spell the word aloud, in his
mind, or on paper
4. Check the flash card or list to ensure his spelling was correct. You
can show your child an example of how to do this and then let him
practice on his own.

10) Allow children to practice spelling words in a way where they

can easily make corrections, replace one letter for another, or fill
in missing letters.

Examples include:
using a dry erase or chalkboard – for an activity, try writing a word but
leaving some letters blank (have your child fill in the missing letters-
providing him/her with guidance as needed). For example, for the
word table you could write (t a b _ e) and have him/her try to fill in the
missing letter. As he/she improves, make it more challenging. If you
child has trouble thinking of the missing letter, try giving a choice of
three letters to choose from.
allow children to practice spelling in sand in a sand tray as shown
below (you can place the sand in a shallow baking pan for a tray)

or in shaving cream (as shown below)

.
Again, this will allow them to write and rewrite words, make
corrections, replace letters, fill in missing letters, etc.
11) Use the IPAD. The IPAD is an excellent tool for spelling practice.
There are several spelling apps that allow children to have fun while
learning to spell or improve their spelling skills.

Also, some children who are resistant to traditional writing are

sometimes willing to write on an IPAD. They can write with their finger
or with an IPAD Stylus such as the one shown below.

If pen/pencil grip is a concern, see How to Help Your Child with

Handwriting and Pencil Grip.
Additional Strategies:

 Read with your child and encourage your child to read as much

as possible. When you come across a word with a certain pattern
or rule, you can point out the word to your child/students and
reiterate the rule. For example if you see the word vacation you can
remind your child that many words that end with a “shin” sound are
spelled with the suffix “tion” such as creation,  medication,
or fiction or if you see the word “cat” you can remind your child that
several three-letter words end with “at” such as bat,
hat, and, mat.Teach your child to try to pay attention to these types
of patterns when reading.
 Use  spelling workbooks
 Try Fun Spelling Practice and Word Play Puzzlers, which allows
you to download several spelling worksheets and games (for
different levels) right to your computer for printing.

Side-Note * Keep in mind that every child is different. Some respond

to several strategies, others respond to a few, while others may not
respond to any of these strategies. If your child is significantly
struggling with spelling or acquiring other academic skills, despite
consistent practice and guidance, talk to your child’s school and/or
doctor. They should be able to refer you to the appropriate
professionals to determine what might be interfering with your child’s
progress and what additional strategies might help.

Remember to always stay calm when working with a child or student,

even if you think they should be getting something that they are not
getting.  If you get frustrated with them, they may start to feel anxious,
angry, inferior, stupid, etc. which will lead to a less productive learning
session. Keep practice sessions short (5 to 10 minutes for younger
children or children who get easily frustrated and 10 to 15 minutes for
older children or children who can work for longer periods without
frustration), unless the child is eager to keep going.

Video Presentation (musical/illustrated)

Narrated Video Presentation

Thank you for visiting educationandbehavior.com. We provide

free academic, behavioral, and social-emotional support for children.
Browse our topics from the menu button at the top left of the
page! Follow us on Facebook! Please share this information with
others!
Spelling Books and Tools
Evan-Moor Skill Sharpeners Spell & Write, Grade 4 Activity Boo…
$9.99
 (18)

School Zone - Big Spelling Grades 1-3 Workbook - Ages 6 to 9, Let…

$11.69$12.99
 (37)

Melissa & Doug See & Spell Learning Toy (Developmental…

$17.99$19.99
 (1374)

Matching Letter Game,Letter Spelling and Reading Game …

$15.79
 (147)

Little Treasures Matching Letter Game, Teaches Word Recogni…

$17.99
 (362)

The Learning Journey: Match It! - Spelling - 20 Self-Correcting Spe…

$11.25$11.99
 (900)

Sunnyglade 500PCS Wood Letter Tiles/ Wooden Scrabble Tiles …

$12.38
 (444)

JONYJ Foam Magnetic Letters, Magnetic Alphabet Letters Board with Storage Box, 208 Pcs ABC …
 (74)

All

Go

Ads by Amazon