TRICKY WORDS 101

HOW TO TEACH "TRICKY" WORDS

 OVERVIEW
WHAT ARE "TRICKY" WORDS?

Tricky words are high-frequency words that your little one

can't blend on their own YET, because of their reading level
or the specific features of the word. They include either:

Advanced phonics spellings that your little one doesn’t

know (yet), or

An irregular spelling pattern that can’t be sounded out

using the rules that they know.

And here's the thing: a lot of folks think that because tricky
words feature patterns or spellings that your child does not
know YET, that they should be memorized as whole units.
But years of research have shown us that there is a better,
more effective way to teach tricky words.

In this guide, you'll learn the steps for teaching tricky words
in a way that not only encourages your child to build good
reading habits by sounding words out, but that also helps
them learn these words faster than memorization alone.
 EXAMPLE WORDS
Here are some sample "tricky" words that your little one will
need to learn in order to become a successful reader. The full
list is available in my Reading Books Course:

so no to

she are their

some does you

could would should

 HOW TO TEACH
DIRECTIONS
1. WRITE: down the word and explain it might be tricky.
2. REVIEW: the parts they can sound out (black + green).
3. EXPLAIN: the parts they can't sound out yet (red)
4. BLEND: the word together using the sounds.
5. PRACTICE: reading the word on it's own and in context!

FOR EXAMPLE

what
This word is tricky because there are parts you
don't know yet! What does "wh" say? And "t"?
That is right! The "a" is tricky because it isn't
saying "a" it is saying "u". Let's sound this word
out with "u" in the middle!

BEFORE YOU START

Do they know the all of basic letter sounds? (black)
Do they know some of the advanced sounds? (green)
Can they blend "regular" 3 and 4 sound words?
 ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
HELPFUL TIPS
DO: Group words together with similar patterns (e.g., so, no, go).
DO: Give lots of opportunities to practice each tricky word.
DO: Read the tricky words in real context (e.g., sentences, books)

COMMON MISTAKES
DO NOT: Have your child memorize the WHOLE word.
DO NOT: Focus on more than 4-5 tricky words at a time.
DO NOT: Lose your patience if they don't get it right away!

TRICKY WORD SENTENCES

I get some candy! No, I can not go.

Bob will like to run. Does that dog bark?

The cars are fast! Their cat is black.

I could pick a red hat. I should run and jump.