Basic Details
Word: Spelling
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The way the letters of a word are put in order, or the skill of writing words with the right letters.
How to Spell Spelling
Syllables: spell - ing
Tricky part: The double l is the part that slips. Spell already ends in ll, and adding ing changes nothing, so the two l's stay.
Watch out for: speling, spellling, spelleing
Memory tip: Spell + ing: nothing is dropped and nothing is added. If you can write spell, you already have the first five letters.
Idioms and Phrases
- spelling bee: a contest in which people spell words aloud and drop out after a mistake Example: "Mehak practised for weeks before the inter-school spelling bee."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Colour has a different spelling in Britain and in America.
Example 2: Dad checks the spelling of every name before he prints the wedding cards.
Example 3: My spelling improved a lot once I started reading the newspaper every morning.
Fun Fact
The bee in spelling bee means a gathering of people for one shared task. The use began in America, in names like husking bee and quilting bee.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the correctly spelt word:
1. spelling 2. embarassed 3. ocurrence 4. rythm
a) a regular pattern of beats
b) feeling awkward and ashamed
c) something that happens
d) the way the letters of a word are arranged
Show answer
d) the way the letters of a word are arranged. Occurrence takes cc and rr, embarrassed takes rr and ss, and rhythm has an h after the r, so only spelling is right.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our English teacher handed out a list of twenty hard words and warned us that careful speling, neat handwriting and clear answers would all count in Friday's test.
a) handwriting
b) speling
c) answers
d) careful
Show answer
b) speling. Spell already has two l's, and they stay when ing is added.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
The ginllpes of many English words has very little to do with how they sound.
a) spilling
b) smelling
c) swelling
d) spelling
Show answer
d) spelling. The jumble has a p and one i; spilling needs a second i, while swelling and smelling have no p.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A word list that shows two accepted forms, such as judgement and judgment, is giving you two ____.
a) meanings
b) languages
c) sentences
d) spellings
Show answer
d) spellings
2. In 'Her spelling has improved', the word spelling is a ____.
a) adverb
b) pronoun
c) conjunction
d) noun
Show answer
d) noun
