How is the Spellzone course set out?

  • Spellzone is set out in 36 sections, called 'Units'.
  • Many of these are free to all users: you can see which Units are free by clicking the spelling course link at the top of each page.
  • You can sign up to use the rest of the course.

The Units are in 3 main sections:

Units 1 to 16 - Basic level

prefix vowels suffix consonants long syllables short - spelling terms

In this level you can:

  • check your understanding of useful background knowledge such as long and short vowels, consonants, suffixes and syllables
  • study the many different ways of spelling the common sounds in the English language; for example, all these words have the same sound but it is spelled differently: herb, third, burst, earth, world
  • learn the rules for adding endings: why do some words have to change?

Units 17 to 24 - Intermediate level

tricky spellings

This section covers:

  • tricky spellings such as words with ough and augh
  • the 'i before e' rule
  • silent letters
  • and much more

Units 25 to 36 - Advanced level

This section covers:

  • difficult endings where the sound gives no clue, for example -able/-ible, -ant/-ent, -cial/-tial
  • adding suffixes to longer words
  • and much more

Most Units start with a teaching section. A sound is introduced and followed by examples of the different ways of spelling that sound. Often the study is split into two levels: basic level short words and higher level longer words. There are activities and games to help at each stage and course tests to check your progress.

Spelling homophones, short vowel sounds

Throughout the Spellzone course you will find extra help with homophones - those tricky words which sound alike but have different spellings for different meanings, for example: meet/meat wail/whale paw/pour.

A computer spell-check will not help with these words.

Word lists and games

Each section has word lists of the most common words with that spelling pattern.

word-list-details

To help you learn these words there are activities and games indicated by the eye, ear and ball icons:

spelling-activities

  • Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check
  • Listen and Spell
  • Against the Clock
  • Word search
  • Bouncing Anagrams
  • Which Witch?
  • Asteroids
  • Rain Letters

You can also add your own word lists and play all these games with your own words.

For more information on activities and games see Activities and games.

Special markings for words and letters

Sometimes letters or words are in colour to make them stand out.
For example:
manage village hostage
These symbols are used to help with the understanding of sound:

  • Obliques are used to signify the sound letters make rather than the name: /er/.
  • Short vowels are shown by a breve: ă ĕ ĭ ŏ ŭ.
  • Long vowels are shown by a macron: ā ē ī ō ū.

The glossary at the end of the 'Help' section has more information on these symbols.

Spellzone Guide Home Page

Try Spellzone for free

"Thank goodness for Spellzone during this remote learning phase. The site is easy for students to navigate independently and they're really enjoying the activities and spelling games. You get an awful lot for your money with Spellzone. Really reassuring is the very prompt response with helpdesk queries. I've very rarely needed the helpdesk, but when I have, the issue has been addressed and sorted within a very short time."

Sarah Taggart, Oasis Academy Lord's Hill