When learning a second language, it’s always more difficult if it’s vastly different to your own mother tongue.
But for those learning English, one of the trickiest parts to get your head around is spelling words which look nothing like they sound.
Then there are the silent letters and helpful spelling rules with long lists of not-so-helpful exceptions.
But, with practice and these handy tricks and tips, your spelling will come by leaps and bounds!
1. Invent Your Own Mnemonics
Mnemonics or memory prompts are useful to remember word sequences. An example that most native speakers learn is the phrase, “Richard of York gave battle in vain”, reminding us of the colors of the rainbow in order.
ESL learners can also use these memory prompts to spell words they find difficult.
A great example is the mnemonic, ‘rhythm helps your two hips move’. But, for many ESL learners and native speakers alike, the most effective mnemonics are those we make up ourselves.
You could even make up a mnemonic in your native language if that helps while you improve your English. But, remember, sillier mnemonics tend to help jog our memories more.
2. I before E Except…Some Tricky Words
All native speakers are familiar with the phrase, ‘I before E except after C.’
But, recent language research shows that this mnemonic is actually a big lie, as there are more words which break this rule than those which follow it.
That said, remembering this prompt can help ESL learners with spelling words they may find difficult.
For example, in ‘believe’, ‘piece’, and ‘niece’, the ‘i’ does come before the ‘e’. And, words which include a ‘c’, such as ‘conceive’ and ‘deceive’ have the ‘e’ first.
But, words such as ‘foreign’, ‘caffeine’, ‘leisure’ and ‘weird’ all break this rule. So, the best rule to learn might be that with English there are exceptions to every rule.
3. Break It Down
Native English speakers are often accused of ‘swallowing syllables’ in words such as ‘literature’ and ‘comfortable’.
This can make it difficult for ESL learners to master pronunciation. And, it can also make spelling words with unspoken syllables hard.
To correctly spell common words which include silent letters, ESL learners should break down the syllables and sound them out.
A great example is ‘Wednesday’, which you’re likely to need to spell and say a lot. While you need to know that the word sounds more like “Wensday”, sounding out, ‘wed-nes-day’ will help you to spell it right too.
English words can be difficult to spell but learning common tricks can help.
4. Double Up
Lots of longer words trip up ESL learners because of the double letters they contain. And some really tricky words such as ‘committee’, ‘accommodation’, ’embarrassing’ and ‘possession’ contain sets of these double letters.
If there’s a word you need to use a lot that you often spell wrong, a mnemonic could help it to stick in your brain. Otherwise, it’s just a case of remembering these letter sets.
5. Keep It E-asy
ESL learners often make the mistake of leaving out the ‘e’ in words like ‘ultimately’, and ‘noticeable’. And, for those learning American English, words which seem to break this trend, such as ‘likable’, can confuse matters.
But, in general, the final ‘e’ stays when we turn a root word into an adverb or adjective.
That goes for ‘definitely’ too, which comes from the word ‘finite’. And yes, we’re sure you’ve seen ‘definately’ written all over social media by native speakers but trust us, it is NOT a word!
Tricks for ESL Learners to Excel in Spelling Words
For ESL learners, learning to spell words correctly can help a great deal when it comes to filling out forms, sending emails and securing a job.
And with these tricks and tips, you can excel at spelling even the trickiest words in no time.
Contact us to get started on improving your English level today!
