Guide · tricky words
Commonly Misspelled Words, With a Trick for Each
The most commonly misspelled words are ones with a hidden or odd vowel: because, friend, separate, definitely, necessary, Wednesday. Find the tricky part, give it a memory hook, and practice just that part.
Tricks for the classics
because: big elephants can always understand small elephants. friend: a friend to the end. separate: there's a rat in separate. necessary: one collar, two socks. definitely: it's finite inside. Wednesday: say Wed-nes-day. rhythm: rhythm helps your two hips move.
Why they're hard
Our mouths shortcut the middle of long words, so the letters we write aren't the sounds we say. Saying the word the 'spelling way' (choc-o-late) puts the missing sounds back.
Practice the part, not the word
Kids usually spell 80% of a tricky word right. Highlight the bit that goes wrong and drill only that, then put the whole word back together.
How to do it with Spellcove
- Play the 5th grade commonly misspelled list in the game.
- Crab Sort is ideal: kids sort right spellings from near-misses.
- Print a circle-the-right-spelling sheet.
- Add your child's own personal 'demons' with the list maker.
Questions people ask
What is the most misspelled word?
Lists vary, but definitely, separate and necessary are always near the top.
Do spellcheckers make spelling practice pointless?
No. Spellcheckers miss real-word errors (their/there), and fluent spelling frees up attention for actually writing.
Take the cove with you
The Spellcove app has everything you can play here, plus the parts that need a real app: every word read aloud so kids can practice alone, offline play for car rides, a parent view of which words have stuck, and the full treasure collection.
Coming soon on theApp Store