To achieve mastery in English spellings is a difficult task even for native speakers. However, language learners should not give up this fast. Words may sound different when you speak than their spellings. This is because  English language has various ways to spell the same sound and pronounce the same spelling. But it is not impossible to improve your spellings. All you need is a little bit of patience and soon you will observe a noticeable improvement in the way you spell words.

Tips to better spelling skills

Even scholars and great speakers find it difficult to spell a simple word. Today, the technology has evolved and we hardly come across a situation where we need to actually spell a word. If you spell a word wrongly, your smart phone and computer would prompt the correct spelling. Still, there are ways you can improve spelling skills, let’s look at them one by one.

1. Write the word

When you hear the sound of a word, write it down. When you do that, you indulge your senses, i.e., sight, hear and writing. According to English experts, this is the best way to practice spellings. For instance, discreet and discrete, both the spellings are correct. After hearing the sound you have to spell, based on the context in which it is used. Discreet means careful/cautious whereas discrete means isolated.

2. Use a dictionary

Dictionary is the best place to find the correct spelling and the pronunciation of a word. Some dictionaries also include different spellings of a word. Spelling dictionaries are easily available and can be of great help in improving your spelling skills. A typical entry in one such dictionary includes variations of a word, such as: tasty – tastier, tastiest, tastiness.

3. Read books

The more you read books the better will be your spelling skills. While reading anything, circle or highlight unfamiliar words and find its meaning in the dictionary. Make cue cards of these words and stick them at places you generally visit in your home, for instance, on the refrigerator or mirror.

4. Get phonetic dictionaries

These dictionaries segregate words on the basis of their sounds and syllables. For instance, pneumonia, this word will be listed under ‘n’ and ‘p’. If a word is a homophone, for instance, desert and dessert, the word will be accompanied with its meaning. Isn’t it a great way to learn spellings?

5. Record wrong spellings

We all have a set of words that we usually spell wrong, for instance, the words that carry ‘ei’ together. Example of such words are - their and friends, in the former ‘e’ comes before ‘i’ whereas in the latter, ‘i’ comes before ‘e’.  Maintain a record of words that you get confused with and go through the document time and again to memorize the right spellings.

Conclusion

These are some ways to improve your English and spelling skills. In addition, you can play online spelling games and learn to correctly spell words in a fun manner. You can also join an online spoken English class for more practice.

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