How to reduce common English spelling mistakes?

Are you learning English but are having trouble spelling some words correctly? We understand how frustrating that can be. Learning English is an exciting journey, but if you continue to make spelling mistakes, this fun experience can soon turn sour. The good news is that everyone makes mistakes, but with the right guidance, you can overcome them and become a spelling bee champion! You are on your way to reducing common English spelling mistakes with these fun and practical tips!! 

In your quest to find a solution to a problem, you must first identify why the problem is happening in the first place. English spellings seem so confusing at times because they are not always phonetic, which means that words aren’t always spelt the way they sound. This is because English has a long history of borrowing words from other languages and not always keeping the original spellings as they are, which can be confusing. Sometimes, certain words can even look similar but have different meanings. For example, the word ‘spare’ can mean ‘an extra piece of something’ or ‘something not in use at the moment,’ depending on the context.  

Now that you understand why this confusion happens, you can take action to reduce common English spelling mistakes. Let’s go! 

In a world filled with digital technology and autocorrects, which actually lead to bad spelling habits, we are going to go old school and look at some traditional tips to help you improve your English spelling. 

1. Use a good and reliable dictionary to learn correct spellings 

The first thing you must do when you realise that you have made a spelling error is to look up the world and learn the correct spelling from a good dictionary. You can even use an online dictionary to do this. Some of the most popular dictionaries are Merriam-Webster, Oxford, and Dictionary.com. You can practise writing the word multiple times in a notebook to memorise it. 

2. Focus on the meaning of words, not their pronunciation 

There are a lot of words in English that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. They are called homophones, such as their, there and they’re. Learn their meanings and practise using them in sentences to understand how they differ from each other. Let’s take a look at one example: 

• I left my book there: Here, ‘there’ is referring to a place where the person left their book. 
• Their dog is playful: In this sentence, ‘their’ refers to the people who have a playful dog. 
• They’re coming to the game: Here, the word ‘they’re’ refers to two or more people who will be coming to the game. It is a condensed form of the words 'they are'. 

3. Beware of silent letters when speaking and writing in English 

Remember to avoid common English spelling mistakes related to silent letters. These are letters in English words that are not pronounced. Always learn the correct spelling for writing, but ignore these letters when speaking English. Some classic examples of words with silent letters are: 

Silent B 

• Subtle: The ‘b’ is silent. Pronounced as sut-tul.  
• Debt: The ‘b’ is silent. Pronounced as del. 

Silent C 

• Scene: The ‘c’ is silent. Pronounced as seen. 
• Scent: The ‘c’ is silent. Pronounced as sent.  

Silent H 

• Hour: The ‘h’ is silent. Pronounced as our. 
• Honest: The ‘h’ is silent. Pronounced as on-est. 

Silent T 

• Castle: The ‘t’ is silent. Pronounced as cas-ul. 
• Listen: The ‘t’ is silent. Pronounced as lis-en. 

Silent P 

• Psychology: The ‘p’ is silent. Pronounced as sy-kol-o-jee. 
• Psychic: The ‘p’ is silent. Pronounced as sy-kik. 

4. Look out for words with ‘ie’ or ‘ei’ in them to avoid mistakes 

Some of the most confusing words to spell in the English language are the ones with ‘ie or ei.’ Thankfully, there’s a simple rule which can help you avoid making this error. Just remember, “i before e, except after c.” Let’s understand what that means: 

• When you hear a long ‘e’ vowel sound ‘i’, like in the word brief, the spelling is usually with ‘ie.’ For example, achieve, belief, diesel, niece, and relieve all follow this rule. 
• When the letter 'c' comes before the sound, it switches to ‘ei.’ Think of words like ceiling, conceit, deceive, receipt, and perceive where ‘ei’ follows the ‘c.’ 

But don’t forget — English loves exceptions! Words like friend, ancient, and science don’t follow this pattern. By staying mindful of these patterns, you can master writing tricky words! 

5. Expand your English vocabulary by recognising patterns 

One of the easiest ways to improve your spelling is by recognising patterns in the English language. Many words share the same prefixes, suffixes, or roots. 

• Prefixes: Letters added at the beginning of words (e.g., un- in unlock). 
• Suffixes: Letters added to the end of words (e.g., -ment in entertainment). 
• Roots: The main part of a word carrying its core meaning (e.g., act in action). 

Once you have learned the pattern, it will become easier for you to spell related words correctly. For example, words that end with ‘tion,’ like action, creation, and station, all follow the same spelling pattern. Another pattern is the words ending with ‘-able’ (comfortable, adaptable) and ‘-ible’ (possible, visible). Understanding these patterns helps reduce errors when spelling new words and expand your English vocabulary. 

In the beginning, it may feel like reducing common English spelling mistakes is a futile journey that has no end, but, with practise and time, you will be able to reduce the number of errors and write confidently. Be patient with yourself, and soon, you’ll find that spelling English words correctly will become second nature, and you will have learned new words and expanded your vocabulary along the way! Keep challenging yourself and keep learning to improve your English language skills!