🔍 Teach Spelling Through Patterns, Not Just Memory
One of the most effective ways to help learners improve their spelling is by teaching spelling patterns and rules, rather than relying on rote memorization. English spelling can seem irregular, but there are many helpful patterns (like i before e except after c, or how -ed endings are spelled for past tense). Highlight these patterns and group words accordingly (e.g., “believe,” “relieve,” vs. “receive,” “deceive”). This pattern-based approach helps learners recognize and apply rules across a wider range of vocabulary.
CLICK HERE for my English Spelling Sounds Song and Worksheets
✂️ Focus on High-Frequency Mistakes
Be aware of the most common spelling errors learners make, such as:
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Confusing homophones (e.g., “their/there/they’re”)
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Doubling consonants incorrectly (e.g., “runing” instead of “running”)
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Adding or omitting silent letters (e.g., “wich” instead of “which”)
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Confusing British vs. American spellings (e.g., “colour” vs. “color”)
Prepare targeted spelling lists and activities based on these frequent errors, especially drawn from learners’ own writing.
✍️ Use Writing as a Diagnostic Tool
Collection of real writing samples from students to identify consistent personal spelling mistakes. These become the basis for individualized spelling lists and classroom mini-lessons. Rather than correcting every error, focus on a few recurring issues and create activities that raise awareness and provide focused practice.
🧠 Teach Strategies, Not Just Corrections
Good spellers use strategies. Teach your students to become more independent by using techniques like:
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Sounding out the word and writing a phonetic version first
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Chunking syllables (e.g., “en-vi-ron-ment”)
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Using mnemonics (e.g., “necessary has one collar and two sleeves”)
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Encouraging use of spell checkers + self-correction
By integrating strategy instruction with practical activities, learners gain confidence and accuracy.
📚 Make Spelling Interactive and Fun
Finally, remind your students that spelling practice doesn’t have to be boring. Use games, puzzles, spelling bees, gap-fill exercises, and peer correction tasks to make spelling both engaging and effective. Visual tools like word walls, spelling journals, and personal dictionaries can also support long-term retention.
CLICK HERE for my English Spelling Sounds Song and Worksheets
👩🏫 Demo Spelling Lesson
🎯 Objective:
Identify common spelling errors, teach spelling patterns and strategies, and engage students in active spelling practice.
🧠 Step 1: Warm-Up – Error Hunt (10 mins)
Activity for students:
Show students a short paragraph with typical spelling mistakes. Example:
Yesturday I went to the libary to borrow a book on enviromentel sciense. I realy enjoy reading about the natur and wildlief.
Task: In pairs, students find and correct the spelling mistakes.
✔️ Focus: Misused vowels, missing letters, phonetic errors
Debrief: Ask:
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Which errors were easy/hard to find?
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Why do students make these kinds of mistakes?
🧩 Step 2: Teaching Strategy – Sound, Pattern, Memory (15 mins)
Mini-lecture or modeling:
Introduce the 3-part approach to use with students:
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Sound it out – Encourage phonetic spelling first
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Look for a pattern – Teach common spelling rules/patterns
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Use memory tricks – Like mnemonics or visual memory
Example words:
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Necessary (one collar, two sleeves)
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Environment (break into en-vi-ron-ment)
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Science (i before e except after c)
Ask students to come up with strategies they’d use to learn these.
🎲 Step 3: Active Spelling Practice – Game Time (15 mins)
Group activity:
Introduce a spelling game like “Correct the Teacher.” Write a sentence with spelling errors on the board and pretend you don’t know what’s wrong. Let the “students” correct it.
You can also try:
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Spelling Bingo
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Spelling Word Relay
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Spelling Jeopardy
🧠 These games make practice fun and reinforce memory.
📝 Step 4: Application – Student Writing & Individual Errors (15 mins)
Task for students:
Give a short sample of real or simulated student writing with spelling mistakes. Ask students to:
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Identify 2–3 common misspelled words
Encourage students to think:
“How would I correct this without just giving the answer?”
🔁 Wrap-Up Reflection (5 mins)
Ask students:
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What spelling mistakes are most common?
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How can spelling be more interactive and less stressful?
🛠️ Materials You Can Provide:
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Error paragraph handout
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Common spelling mistake list
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Word wall templates
CLICK HERE for my English Spelling Sounds Song and Worksheets
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✍️ Error Paragraph Handout: Spelling Correction Activity
🧠 Instructions for Students:
Read the paragraph below. Work in pairs or small groups to identify and correct the spelling errors. Highlight any patterns you notice in the mistakes (e.g., vowel confusion, silent letters, homophones, etc.).
❌ Student Writing Sample (With Spelling Errors)
Last weekend, I visitted my cousens in the contryside. We went for a walk near the rivver and saw lots of interresting anmals. My youngest cosin was very exsited to see a rabit and a dear. We brought sandwches and juice for lunch, but I forgot the napkings. The whether was beautifull, and we stayed untill the sun went down. It was defenitly a memorabel day.
✅ Your Tasks:
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Underline or highlight all the spelling mistakes.
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Correct the paragraph on the lines below or in the margin.
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Identify 2–3 common types of spelling mistakes made in the paragraph.
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How could you teach these spelling corrections in a fun or memorable way?
📋 Optional Extension:
Have teachers categorize the types of errors:
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Doubling consonants
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Homophones
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Silent letters
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Vowel confusion
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Irregular spelling
CLICK HERE for my “Everyday Verbs Songs” and Worksheets
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📚 Common English Spelling Mistake List for ESL Learners
🔠 1. Double Letters
Learners often forget to double consonants or do it unnecessarily.
| Incorrect | Correct | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| runing | running | Double the n (CVC rule) |
| stoped | stopped | Double p before -ed |
| bigest | biggest | Double g in short vowels |
🧠 Teach: The CVC rule (consonant-vowel-consonant) → double the final consonant before adding -ing or -ed.
🧏♂️ 2. Silent Letters
Silent letters are often dropped because learners spell phonetically.
| Incorrect | Correct | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| wich | which | Silent h |
| nife | knife | Silent k |
| lisening | listening | Silent t |
🧠 Teach: Use mnemonics or visuals to reinforce tricky silent letters.
👂 3. Homophones
Words that sound the same but are spelled differently.
| Incorrect | Correct | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| their going | they’re going | “They are” contraction |
| there books | their books | Possessive pronoun |
| hear me | here me | Place, not sound |
🧠 Teach: Use contextual examples and sentence comparisons.
📐 4. Vowel Confusion
Learners mix up vowel combinations, especially in unstressed syllables.
| Incorrect | Correct | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| definitly | definitely | “ite” not “itly” |
| enviroment | environment | Missing n and wrong vowel |
| beleive | believe | “i before e except after c” |
🧠 Teach: Syllable chunking and stress patterns help with vowels.
🇬🇧 5. British vs. American Spelling
Students may mix up versions.
| British | American | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| colour | color | My favorite color is blue. |
| centre | center | Let’s meet at the sports center. |
| organise | organize | She helped organize the event. |
🧠 Teach: Choose one variety per course and explain the differences.
📝 6. Common High-Frequency Errors
These words are often misspelled simply because of irregularity or confusion.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| recieve | receive |
| seperate | separate |
| accomodate | accommodate |
| occurence | occurrence |
| goverment | government |
🧠 Teach: Spelling flashcards, quizzes, and visual memory tricks.
CLICK HERE for my English Spelling Sounds Song and Worksheets
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A word wall is a great visual tool to help students remember tricky or commonly misspelled words. Below are some ready-to-use word wall templates you can print or adapt. These templates can be used in physical classrooms or on digital bulletin boards like Padlet, Jamboard, or Google Slides.
🧱 1. Basic Word Wall Template
📐 2. Visual Word Wall Card (for Bulletin Boards)
Print these on index cards or colored paper.
Tip: Print multiple cards and color-code them by spelling rule (e.g., blue = silent letters, yellow = homophones).
📊 3. Category-Based Word Wall Chart
Use this as a poster or anchor chart in the classroom.
| ❌ Common Error | ✅ Correct Spelling | Rule/Pattern | Mnemonic or Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| runing | running | Double consonant | CVC rule – short vowel sound |
| wich | which | Silent letter | “Which witch is which?” |
| their | they’re / there | Homophones | They + are = they’re |
| beleive | believe | Vowel confusion | i before e, except after c |
| color (UK) | colour (US/UK diff) | Brit vs. US | Use UK spelling for exams in UK |
💡 Ideas for Using Word Walls:
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Student-created cards: Let learners write and decorate the cards.
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Weekly spotlight: Highlight 5 new focus words each week.
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Interactive review: Play games like “Guess the Word,” “Fix the Error,” or “Find the Pattern.”
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Digital version: Use Google Jamboard or Canva to build a digital word wall with the same format.