How to Spell with Spelling Rules and Associations

You can flit through the words

Spell with spelling rules and associations and by learning root words with prefixes and suffixes. There have been many theories for learning spelling over the years, but a combination of rules and spelling associations works best.

Here are a few rules and associations to help with spelling.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Review the most common rule. That is I before E except after C. There is another element to that rule: only when it sounds like E. Think of FORFEIT and HEIFER. They do not have the E sound, so it is no longer i before e.

2. Know that words ending in a single consonant preceded by a short vowel sound double the consonant before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. So, a word like CHAT would double the consonant before adding the suffix. Chatter, chatting, chatted double the T.

   Words that have a long vowel before a single consonant ending do not double the consonant before adding the suffix. SEAT would be seating and seated, no double consonant.

3. Review other rules for spelling if you are interested. They are available on the internet in profusion, but are boring for all but the most pedantic. You can learn to spell with rules and an interest in self-improvement, along with associations. Some other ideas are included here.

4. Make a personal spelling word list at any age. You are not too young or too old to have a little book to write down words that are difficult for you. Write the correct spelling and the date, and the meaning if you think you might not recall.

5. Learn root words and sets of words. This will be more helpful than any rules. The great advantage to checking a word in the dictionary is to see how the word was developed, and the meaning of the root word. You may want to keep a list of these in your little spelling book, too.

6. Learn prefixes and suffixes and their meanings. This will help you spell, and also help you remember or determine the meanings of the words. Medicine is an area that is perfect for learning root words, prefixes and suffixes. Think of cardi- as heart, cerebr- as brain, and so on. Then words like macro and micro are prefixes, -stomy and -scope are suffixes. Once you learn the meanings, you can spell or define almost any medical term.

7. Use an interactive spelling website for practice. These sites are easily located in Google, and allow you to fill in the blank, send, and instantly see any errors.

   Even if you are a good speller, check out the most commonly misspelled words on a website shown in Resources below.

8. Discuss words with your children or mate. This is helpful to all involved, and can make a difference in your spelling as well as those around you. Look for misspelled words, and have fun with them. Why wouldn't that be mispelled? The reason is that mis- is the prefix, and spell is the root word. It requires both to make the word misspell.

9. Work crossword puzzles and play Scrabble. Even the cryptogram has some spelling lessons hidden. These are fun ways to learn spelling or help your children learn to spell.

Tips & Warnings

• We often write about English grammar and learning. See similar articles in Resources below.

• copyright 2009 Linda Richard

• Feel free to link to this article or send it to a friend.

Resources

• Most Commonly Misspelled Words
• Study ESL English Grammar
• Use Correct English Grammar
• Use Correct English Grammar: Wasted Words
• Find Literature Online for Learning Fun
• Read Literature for Free on the Internet
• Check Copyright Laws in the US
• Apply for a Copyright in the US
• How to Write a Poem
• Write Poetry and Papers: Revision