Have you ever wondered if you should double a letter when spelling a word? Double letters can be tricky, but once you learn the patterns, they’re much easier to remember. In this blog, we’ll explain the simple rules behind double letters, give you helpful tips, and share fun activities that will help students with their spelling with confidence. Understanding Double Letters: A Quick Overview Some spellings include double letter patterns, like in butter or address. Recognising the patterns help you avoid common spelling mistakes and improve your spelling skills. Common Rules for Double Letters Short Vowel Sounds Followed by Double Consonants When a short vowel sound...
In today's digital age, emails and online messaging have become the norm for professional and personal communication. This means good spelling is essential. Your written words often demonstrate your professionalism, attention to detail, and credibility. Here are some top tips to ensure your spelling shines in email and online communication: Proofread, Then Proofread Again Before hitting send, take a moment to proofread your message carefully. Look out for any common spelling errors, typos, or autocorrect mishaps that might have slipped through the cracks. A second pair of eyes can also be invaluable in catching mistakes you might have missed. Use Spellchec...
English is a language known for its quirks and irregularities, making it a challenging to learn. For ESL (English as a Second Language) learners, navigating the intricacies of English spelling can be particularly daunting. However, by understanding common pitfalls and employing effective strategies, ESL learners can overcome spelling challenges and enhance their language skills. Silent Letter Strategies Silent letters add an extra layer of complexity to English spelling. These letters appear in the spelling, but they are not pronounced. TIP: When you learn words with silent letters, use the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check spelling activity. Click on the speaker to hear the word...
Understanding Homophones: Your Key to Confident Spelling Homophones, words that share similar sounds but differ in meanings and spellings, pose a challenge for many English learners. Whether you're a student striving for academic excellence, a professional aiming for clear communication, or simply someone eager to improve your language skills, mastering homophones is crucial. In this detailed guide, we'll delve into the intricacies of homophones, providing you with spelling strategies and practice word lists to become proficient in identifying and using homophones accurately. Exploring Spellzone's Homophone Guides Spellzone offers an extensive archive of homophone gui...
February is coming to a close, and this month we shared some handy spelling tips for both language learners and teachers. Whether you're navigating the intricacies of English vocabulary or perfecting your heartfelt expressions, our February blogs are here to support your educational journey with fresh perspectives. Let's recap the highlights of the month. 1) Essential Word Lists for ESL Learners: Mastering English Vocabulary If you're on the journey of learning English, building a strong vocabulary is key. In this post, we curated three essential word lists tailored for ESL learners. From everyday basics to tricky homophones and advanced vocabulary, these lists are designed...
Valentine's Day presents the perfect opportunity to express your love and appreciation for those dear to you through cards and notes. However, even the most heartfelt sentiments can be diminished by spelling errors. In this blog post, we'll look at common spelling mistakes to avoid when crafting your Valentine's Day cards, along with tips for proofreading and ensuring accuracy. By paying attention to spelling, you can ensure that your love notes convey your feelings with clarity and precision. Apostrophe Placement Common mistake: ‘Happy Valentines Day!’ Correction: ‘Happy Valentine's Day!’ Tip: Remember to use an apostrophe to indicat...
Boost your spelling skills and immerse yourself in a world of words with our 3 Word Lists for August 2023. Our spelling activities and games will have you tackling this month's tricky rulebreakers, fruity flavours, and, lightning-fast vocabulary in no time. Why not try our Summer Spelling game? English can be confusing, especially with homophones like meat and meet. Don't worry, our latest Commonly Confused Words blog post is here to help! We provide a straightforward breakdown of the distinctions between these two words and offer practical tips to help you confidently choose the right one. Fed up with using the same words over and over again? ...
3 Word Lists for August This month we looked at Words ending in ‘er’, Eponymous Words, and, in celebration of National Honey Bee Day, Insects. There are lots of different ways you can use a Spellzone word list to help you practise your spelling – learn more about them here. Commonly Confused Words: Shore vs. Sure For this month’s Commonly Confused Words blog post, we looked at the words shore and sure. Do you know which word refers to certainty? What about the seaside? Click here for tips and tricks to help you tell them apart. 10 Words for … SAD In our ...
What does each word mean? A cent is a fractional monetary unit used in several countries, worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit. For example, a euro is made up of a hundred cents. The plural of cent can be cent or cents. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is cent used in some example sentences: The toy cost two euros and ninety nine cents or €2.99. A euro is made up of a hundred cents. A dollar is made up of a hundred cent. A scent is a distinctive but pleasant smell. The word is also sometimes used to mean perfume. Click here for the full Spellzone dic...
If you’re one of our regular readers you’ll be familiar with articles on easy-to-confuse words, but every now and then we like to share a recap for our new subscribers. Here is a list of all our Commonly Confused Words articles: A vs. An Accept vs. Except Adverse vs. Averse Affect vs. Effect Air vs. Heir Aisle vs. Isle All together vs. Altogether Allowed vs. Aloud Allude vs. Elude Allusion vs. Illusion Alternate vs. Alternative Are vs. Our vs. Hour Ascent vs. Assent Assume vs. Presume Balmy vs. Barmy Bated vs. Baited Bath vs. Bathe Bear vs. Bare Been vs. Gone Berry vs. Bury Biannual vs. Biennial Biweekly vs...
What does each word mean? For is a preposition used to describe one thing in relation to another thing. It means ‘in support of’, ‘with regard to’, ‘on behalf of’, ‘with benefit to’ and more. Here is for used in some example sentences: She voted for the Green Party. After the way the teacher dealt with the bullying at school, the parents and children found they had a renewed sense of respect for her. She was a delivery driver for the new pizza joint in town. The Spellzone course is a powerful tool for leaning. He was grateful to his family for their continued support. We leave for Spain to...
What does each word mean? Biweekly means both ‘every two weeks’ and ‘twice a week’. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is biweekly used in some example sentences: The club meets biweekly on Mondays and Thursdays. The paper is distributed biweekly, usually in the second and fourth week of the month. Fortnightly is a British English word meaning ‘every two weeks’. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is fortnightly used in an example sentence: The paper is distributed fortnightly, usually in the second and fourth week ...
This week’s pair of words often cause confusion in the world of business. Read on to find out what each word means and to learn tricks to help you tell them apart. What does each word mean? The adjective biannual describes something that occurs or is payable twice each year. Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word. Here is biannual used in some example sentences: The theatre company performs a biannual show in the community garden which is free for members of the public to attend. The payment will be due biannually at the discussed rate. The senior staff members met biannually to discuss progress and make plans f...
New year, new start! If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to improve your spelling and writing, you’re in the right place. Our spelling courses are great for working through the basics of English spelling and our blog is full of other helpful resources. If you’re not sure where to begin, our Spelling Ability Test will help you determine your strengths and weaknesses and create a personalised pathway to guide you through our course. For those of you who are looking for more ideas on how to improve your writing, here are five areas people often make mistakes in. Pick one or more to focus on this year and let us know how you get on! Abbreviations Shortening wor...
English is a tricky language to learn and one of the things that makes it so difficult is that it’s full of words that sound the same but have different meanings or spellings. These words are called homophones. In the past, we’ve looked at many pairs and groups of homophones in our Commonly Confused Words series. This week we’re sharing tips for handling homophones – scroll down to make sure you never mix up your meanings again! Use homophones in the same sentence to show their different meanings. For example: Although we had a ball dancing the night away at the summer ball, we were so tired the next day we had to miss our football practi...
One of the reasons why English spelling is so difficult to learn is because, a lot of the time, the same sound is spelled in a variety of ways. In the past we’ve shared blog posts on how to spell the four other vowel sounds: the long /a/ sound, the long /e/ sound, the long /i/ sound, and the long /o/ sound – this week we’re finishing the series with how to spell the long /u/ sound. Please note the pronunciation of some of the example words may vary depending on accent. The long /u/ sound is pronounced like the word ‘you’. Here are four ways of spelling it: Just the Letter U Some words spell the long /u/ sound with just the letter u. These w...
In today’s Commonly Confused Words post, we’re going to take a look at our first set of homophones: break and brake. To learn more about homophones click here, and to read the other posts in our Commonly Confused Words series, click on the following links: accept vs. except, bought vs. brought, and lose vs. loose. What does each word mean? The word break is usually used as a verb to describe the act of separating something into pieces (usually as the result of a blow, jolt, or shock of some kind), or as a noun to describe a pause or interval from usual ongoing activities. For the full Spellzone definition of the word, click here. Here is the word used in some example ...
The words effect and affect are perhaps two of the most confused words in the English language. Oxford Dictionary Online reports that the most-searched word each month is ‘affect’. So if you have struggled with these words in the past, you are certainly not alone! Interestingly, the words themselves actually have entirely different meanings and functions… ‘Effect’ usually functions as a noun: ‘You will be banned from the tournament with immediate effect’ in this context effect is a noun, the state of something being in effect. ‘Being banned from the tournament had a terrible effect on your results’ So a good definition for...
One of the most alarmingly persistent grammatical errors in the English language is the incorrect use of the words there, their and they’re. We’ve all asked that age-old question: ‘Is it there, their or they’re?’ So why is it that this mistake is so commonly made and how can we learn to master these pesky spellings and help resolve this issue for good? There, their and there are a certain type of homophone known as heterographs. This means they sound the same but both their spellings and their meanings are different. Since their meanings are different, when one is used in the incorrect context, the sentence actually fails to make sense. Here is a commo...
American vs. British English
Common Mistakes
Commonly Confused Words
English Idioms Explained
English Literature
Exams & Tests
Grammar & Punctuation
Mindful Spelling
Spelling at School
Spelling Games
Spelling Homework
Spelling Tips
Spellzone Tips & Tools
Supporting Adult Learners
Supporting Dyslexic Learners
Supporting EAL Learners
Word Origins & Stories
Writing & Vocabulary
One of the students has put in a huge amount of effort in completing Spellzone at least 3 times a week since his arrival with us in January. Looking at his scores after the latest GL testing, his standardised score has risen from 99 to 131. This is a truly phenomenal result. I just wanted to share the best result I have ever seen.
Terrie Penrose-Toms, Casterton College
Connect with us at: 
