Spelling commonly misspelled KS2 words (separate, definitely, necessary, beautiful, Wednesday, February) and words with silent letters (knight, island, Wednesday), using memory strategies rather than rules.
Where your child meets this in real life: Spelling the days, months and everyday tricky words that appear constantly in school writing, and that the SEAG spelling questions love to test
SEAGReady breaks tricky and irregular spellings into 2 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Spell words with silent letters (knight, know, island, Wednesday, February) by saying the hidden letters aloud in a 'spelling voice': Wed-NES-day, k-night, is-land.
Spell the classic tricky KS2 words (separate, definitely, necessary, beautiful, February) using memory tricks: find the small word inside, count the syllables, or use a mnemonic.
Three free sample questions from our tricky and irregular spellings course. Every question comes with a full explanation, and hints that guide without giving the answer away.
Choose the section that contains a spelling mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] Wensday is the day [B] between Tuesday [C] and Thursday [D] in the school timetable.
Answer: A. Wensday is the day
Section A contains the error: 'Wensday' should be 'Wednesday'. We SAY 'Wens-day', so sounding it out gives the wrong spelling. Say it in three chunks, WED - NES - DAY, to hear every letter, including the silent d. Sections B, C and D are all spelled correctly.
Stuck? Start here: Sound out section A in your spelling voice, in three exaggerated chunks.
Choose the section that contains a spelling mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] The teacher asked [B] the class to seperate [C] into two groups [D] for the quiz.
Answer: B. the class to seperate
Section B contains the error: 'seperate' should be 'separate'. The middle vowel sounds like 'e' when spoken, so ears alone spell it wrongly. Use the small-word trick: there's A RAT in sepARATe. Sections A, C and D are all spelled correctly.
Stuck? Start here: Sound out section B: your ears vote for the wrong letter in the middle.
Choose the section that contains a spelling mistake, or 'No mistake'. [A] Grandad sharpened [B] the nife [C] before carving [D] the Sunday roast.
Answer: B. the nife
Section B contains the error: 'nife' should be 'knife'. Knife begins with a silent k, like knee, knock and know. Sections A, C and D are all spelled correctly.
Stuck? Start here: Sound out section B: does every letter you write get heard aloud?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
Padraig writes in his homework diary: "On Wensday we are going to Carrickfergus Castle to learn about knights."
Is "Wensday" spelled correctly? If not, how should it be spelled?
Step 1 of 5
Padraig writes in his homework diary: "On Wensday we are going to Carrickfergus Castle to learn about knights."
Is "Wensday" spelled correctly? If not, how should it be spelled?
"Wensday" is wrong, the correct spelling is "Wednesday". Say WED-NES-DAY in your spelling voice to hear the silent d.
The key insight: Your ears can't spell silent letters, so give the word a spelling voice and say every letter's chunk out loud: WED-NES-DAY, FEB-RU-ARY, k-NIGHT!
Watch out: iland. Island keeps a silent s. Remember the phrase: "an island IS LAND surrounded by water", the small words IS and LAND are hiding inside.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in tricky and irregular spellings, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with tricky and irregular spellings? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.
SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.
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