Seven Tips To Stronger Spelling
It may be safe to hypothesize that if asked, the vast majority of people familiar with the English language would agree there are certain words that are hard to spell. The Oxford Dictionaries Online estimates there are at minimum 250,000 words save for some exceptions. Spelling rules have been made to aid in knowing to spell a word; however, as the saying goes, “There are exceptions to every rule.”
Given that the words used in the English language are typically derivatives of other languages such as Latin or Greek, compounded with exceptions to spelling rules, there are simply some words that have to be memorized. Along with those spellings, the definitions become important as well.
Some words are simply hard to spell. To add insult to injury, there is no one spellchecking tool that can identify those misspellings.
Here are some tips to aid in memorizing those hard- to- spell words:
1. Look at the word and find a pattern that can be remembered. It may not be phonetic to the word, but when writing or typing, the mind automatically remembers the specific order.
Ex.) Definitely – Think, “De-finite-ly” (dee-fi-night-lee)
2. Find a the smaller word within the larger.
Ex.) Preferable comes from prefer.
3. Think of the shortened version of the word, if applicable.
Ex) Congratulations
When offering a celebratory exclamation, people often write the abbreviated, “Congrats!” However, congratulations in full form often is misspelledcongradulations.
Exception to this tactic: Fridge short for refrigerator. Do not add the “d.”
Note: While writing this article, the spell check tool automatically detected “congratulations” to be misspelled. Upon right-clicking to check for “suggestions,” none were offered. This action underlines the point of one not relying solely on spellchecking program for errors.
4. Spell the word aloud, repeatedly, for several minutes a day. Over time, the word will seem as easy as spelling C-A-T.
5. Write the words repeatedly, in sentences, using the proper definition.
Ex) receipt (n)- a written document that money has been exchanged for payment of goods or services.
a. The cashier forgot to give me a receipt.
b. I keep all my receipts in a shoebox.
c. Your receipt is in the bag.
d. I can’t find the receipt.
6. Make sure to know the correct pronunciation of the word. It is just as important knowing which syllable gets the emphasis.
Ex) desperate
This word is often misspelled desparate due to the closeness of separate.
7. Read. Read. Read.
Only a small portion of the 250,000 plus words in the English language is used regularly. Therefore, by coming into contact with the same words repeatedly, the more likely one will be able to spell correctly, or at the very least, recognize an error.
Trying the above suggestions will help in memorizing harder words. The free spell check tool available to users will help somewhat in spotting errors in documents. But even some programs pick up the wrong words. Memorization is the key, but it does not have to be boring. Use some imagination and have some fun!