Spelling and vocabulary are more closely linked than we might realise. While spelling is often viewed as a set of rules for writing words correctly, it also plays a key role in helping students build and expand their vocabulary. In this blog, we’ll explore how strong spelling skills can enhance vocabulary growth, boost reading comprehension, and build confidence when it comes to using new words. Understanding Word Patterns Spelling helps us see patterns in words. By learning to spell, we become more familiar with common letter combinations, suffixes, prefixes, and word roots. This awareness of patterns makes it easier to recognise and understand new words. For example, ...
"Covid: Home-education numbers rise by 75%" New BBC research shows the number of children registering for home education has risen by 75% in the first part of the school year. In north-west England this is a 92% increase on the previous two-year average. While some parents made this decision for health reasons, others felt that pandemic simply gave them the final push they needed. Read the BBC article here. Do you home-school your children? Sign up for a free Spellzone home trial here. 3 Word Lists for July For this month’s word lists, we looked at The Dirty 30 (part 1 and part 2), Prefixes: p...
The Dirty 30 (part 1 and part 2) Many people struggle with spelling these 30 words, and because they are so often spelt wrong, it is likely that examiners will be watching out for them while marking papers. Make sure you don’t get caught out – you might find these mnemonics helpful too. Prefixes: per or pre? In this month’s spelling pattern word list, you can practise per and pre prefixes. A prefix is a group of letters put on the front of a word to change its meaning – per means ‘by or through’ and pre means ‘before’. Learn more about them in Unit 23. Flowers This month’s ...
A hyphen is a short dash which is used to link words together. Last week, we learned how to use hyphens in compound words. Today, we will look at how to use hyphens when adding a prefix to another word, how to use hyphens to denote word breaks, and how to use hyphens to stand in for repeated parts of words in lists. Using Hyphens to Join Prefixes to Other Words What is a prefix? A prefix is a collection of letters that is added to the beginning of a word in order to modify its meaning. Prefixes are not usually words in their own right. Here are some examples of prefixes: un- pre- multi- post- super- Do I need to use a hyphen every time I add a prefix to a word?...
Often, when a word starts with in-, we can assume that it means the opposite of the same word without the in-. ‘Invisible’, for example, means ‘not visible’, or ‘intolerant’ means ‘not tolerant’. This is because one of the translations of the Latin prefix in- is ‘not’. Today, we’re going to look at three exceptions to this rule. Scroll down to make sure you’re using the following in- words correctly! Famous vs. Infamous If someone isn’t famous, it doesn’t mean that they’re infamous. Let’s take a look at the Spellzone dictionary definitions of each word: Famous: widely know...
Recently a friend asked if I would write a blog post on the difference in meaning between the words ‘uninterested’ and ‘disinterested’. She said that she kept hearing the words used interchangeably and that she was beginning to doubt that she was using the words correctly herself. Let’s take a look at this confusing pair of words… Is there actually a difference between ‘uninterested’ and ‘disinterested’? The beautiful (and annoying!) thing about the English language is its inconsistency – as with anything else, certain words and certain meanings (and sometimes even certain spellings!) go in and out of fashion. Language ...
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English Idioms Explained
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