Tips for better spelling in English. Improving your spelling can be difficult these days. Modern technology, although very useful, has made poor spelling increasingly common even among native speakers – autocorrect on phones and computers has often corrected our errors, so when we come to write them on paper the error has become the natural way of spelling.
On this page we have gathered some useful hints to help you get better spelling skills.
Tip #1 for better spelling: write it down
It is a scientifically proven fact that the more you write a word using a pen and paper (not a computer) the more chance you have of remembering the spelling. Our brains process the word as an image, which is why sometimes a misspelled word can simply ‘look’ wrong even before you have identified the actual error.
Doing this two or three times a day for a few days in a row will help you get used to the shape of the word with correct spelling, making it easier to repeat under exam pressure.
Tip #2 for better spelling: find your weaknesses
Very often, people find particular words difficult to spell. Work through the vocabulary section of these pages, and practice spelling the words without looking to find which words you find difficult, then add them to your own notebook. Whenever you have a spare minute, simply write the word repeatedly (as recommended in Tip #1).
Tip #3 for better spelling: have realistic expectations
Limit the number of new words that you are trying to learn to spell, and write them in your notebook. Don’t write every word you have problems with – just work on 5 at a time, repeatedly writing them down then checking over a period of a few days or more. Once you are sure you have remembered the spelling, add some new words. Adding too many words at one time becomes confusing, and spelling and meaning are often only partly or incorrectly remembered.
Tip #4 for better spelling: use memory techniques
This can often help in situations where you repeatedly spell a word incorrectly. For example, is the correct spelling SEPARATE or SEPERATE? One way to help you remember is that this word always has a rat in the middle, so the correct answer is SEPARATE.
Another memory technique is to spell a phrase or sentence from the letters of the word you are having trouble with. For example, take the word NECESSARY – this could be remembered as ‘Never Eat Crisps, Eat Salad Sandwiches And Remain Young’.
Make sure to practice these tips for better spelling in English whenever you can!