Spelling is tough in English. The rules are complex, and there are many exceptions. One way to improve your spelling is to learn the rules you're required to follow for large classes of words, and then type up a list of the exceptions to keep handy. It's far more important to learn to spell words that are commonly misspelled than to learn to spell words useful only in Scrabble or spelling bees. Here is the rule for ie:

i before e

Except after c

Or when sounded like a

As in neighbor and weigh.

This covers achieve, believe, receive, freight vein, weigh, and deceive, and a host of others. However it misleads about ancient, efficient, leisure, conscience, foreign, science, seize, weird, and possibly others.

One good site where you can practice your spelling is espindle. Google "spelling" to find more, though most spelling sites seem to be aimed at children.

Many seeming spelling errors are actually bad grammar. To spell two correctly, you need to be certain which of the three homonyms you mean, too. If you have chosen the wrong tense of a verb, or the wrong homonym of any word, Spell Check cannot help you. It has its limits, and it's impossible for it to always know what you mean. Someone who's determined to improve his or her spelling should decide whose grammar text is easiest for them to use, and get it.

Microsoft Word has a thesaurus as well as Spell Check, so if you are not sure the word you have typed is right, hold down shift and press F7 (at least that's how it works on my computer). Substitute a word that seems better. Spelling and grammar checks are in Tools. Openoffice and googledocs probably have features like these too.

Do you spell the way you speak? I spelled both as bolth for years, because it sounded correct to me. Many words are not spelled the way many people say them.

Examples include:

pumpkin

government

withdrawal

athlete

almond

memento

surprise

Find out how an English teacher would say these words, and you will know how to spell them. Unfortunately, many words are not spelled the way anyone pronounces them, for example:

column

mortgage

sword

answer

Wednesday

Just memorize these words, it's all you can do!

It's important to write according to the rules of your own country. American writers do not use -our to end words like honor and favor. English writers do. Canada often follows English usage, but not always. It's genuine to write like your fellow citizens, and it's also correct.

Another source of trouble can be words that end in ceed, sede, or cede. The simplest way to deal with these words is to remember that only one word in English ends in sede. It's supersede. Only three words end in ceed: succeed, exceed, and proceed. Every other similar word ends in cede.

Rules govern the way suffixes, endings, are added to words. A final y generally changes to an i when a suffix is added, except if the suffix is ing. Therefore, worry becomes worrier, with an i, but worrying, with a y.

When adding any suffix that begins with a vowel to a word that ends with e, drop the e: hate becomes hating. There are exceptions, mostly ones that are intended to keep the original sound of the word. So manage becomes manageable, to keep the soft g sound. Words that end in ce work the same way. When adding a suffix that begins with a consonant, keep the final e. There are exceptions though, like judgment, ninth, and truly.

One and two syllable words that end in a consonant sound double the final consonant. Tag becomes tagging and occur becomes occurring. This is to preserve the sound of the vowel. However, if the second syllable is not accented in the new word, don't double the consonant: open becomes opening, and refer becomes reference.

These tips may help, but they don't entirely solve the problem. Keep a list of words you tend to misspell and be willing to use the dictionary and thesaurus functions on your computer. Remember, everyone sometimes makes mistaeaks.

Learn more about this author, Janet Grischy.
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