How to Help Your Child With Spelling at Home

The most effective way to help a child with spelling is to practise a few words often, testing them from memory and using them in sentences, then coming back to them a week or two later. Learning a list on Thursday night for a Friday test rarely makes anything stick. Spellings last when children understand how a word is built, know exactly which part catches them out, and meet it again over several weeks.

Here is what primary children are expected to learn, and the approaches that tend to work at home.

What children learn in Key Stage 2

The national curriculum sets out spelling rules and patterns for each stage. In Key Stage 2, children learn:

• prefixes and suffixes, such as un-, dis-, re-, -ly, -ous and -tion, and the rules for adding them

• homophones, words that sound the same but are spelt differently, such as their, there and they're

• possessive apostrophes, including with plural nouns

• word families and word origins, which help explain unusual spellings

• silent letters, such as in knight, doubt and solemn

The statutory spelling lists

Alongside these patterns, there are two statutory word lists, each with 100 words:

The lists combine words children use often in their own writing with words they frequently misspell. Teachers can spread them across the two years and add other words that suit their class. You can see the full lists in the government's English Appendix 1: Spelling.

Spelling also counts in the Year 6 grammar, punctuation and spelling test and in writing assessment, so these words matter well beyond weekly tests.

Why weekly spelling tests often do not stick

Many children score well on Friday and misspell the same words a week later. That is because short-term cramming relies on memory that fades quickly. Words become secure when they are:

• practised over spaced sessions, not all at once

• recalled from memory, not just copied

• understood through patterns, meanings and word parts

• used in real writing

Strategies that help spellings stick

1. Look, say, cover, write, check

This familiar routine works because it makes children recall the word from memory.

1. Look at the word and say it aloud.

2. Notice the tricky part.

3. Cover the word.

4. Write it from memory.

5. Check it and correct any errors.

2. Find the tricky part

Most words are only difficult in one place. In "separate", it is the "par" in the middle. Ask your child to underline or colour the tricky part. Focusing on that small section is easier than learning the whole word as one block.

3. Break words into parts

Many longer words are built from smaller pieces. "Disappointment" is dis + appoint + ment. Seeing the parts explains why it has two p's and one s.

4. Use word families

If your child can spell "sign", they can learn signal, signature and design more easily. Word families also explain silent letters, such as the g in sign that you hear in signature.

5. Make memorable links

For a few stubborn words, a short memory aid helps. Children remember best the ones they create themselves, such as "a piece of pie" for piece.

6. Write words in sentences

Spelling a word correctly in a list is different from spelling it correctly while thinking about ideas. Ask your child to use each word in a sentence of their own, then dictate short sentences for them to write.

7. Revisit old words

Keep a list of words your child has already learned. Test a few each week. If a word slips, it goes back on the practice list.

A simple weekly routine

Short, regular practice works better than one long session, and it keeps spelling from becoming a battle.

Helping a child who finds spelling very hard

Some children struggle with spelling despite regular practice. Signs to watch for include:

• spelling the same word in several different ways in one piece of writing

• great difficulty linking sounds to letters

• strong reading comprehension but much weaker spelling

• avoiding writing because of worries about spelling

If you notice these, talk to your child's teacher. Persistent spelling difficulties can sometimes be a sign of a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, and early support makes a real difference.

Spelling support at Merit Tutors

Spelling is taught as part of our KS2 English tuition, alongside reading, grammar and writing, so children practise words in their own sentences. If you are unsure whether your child's spelling is behind, a free assessment will give you a clearer picture.

Frequently asked questions

How many spellings should a child practise each week?

Quality matters more than quantity. Five to ten words, revisited across the week and reviewed in later weeks, is usually more effective than a long list learned once.

Are the statutory spelling lists tested in SATs?

The lists are part of the curriculum, and words from them can appear in the Year 6 spelling paper. They also matter in Year 6 writing assessment.

Is it better to learn spelling rules or individual words?

Both. Rules and patterns cover many words at once, while some common words with unusual spellings simply need to be learned.

My child spells words correctly in tests but not in their writing. Why?

When writing, children are thinking about ideas, handwriting and punctuation at the same time. Practising words in sentences and dictation helps transfer spelling into everyday writing.