Spelling rule
Hidden vowels you can't hear
In many long words one vowel is said so quickly that it sounds like 'uh'. You can't hear whether it's an a, e, i or o, so these words need a trick to remember them.
How it works
- 1
Say it in a spelling voice
Say every part loudly and clearly, the way it's written.
- sep-A-rate
- def-I-nite
- dif-FER-ent
- Feb-RU-ar-y
- li-BRAR-y
- in-TER-est
- 2
Find a related word where you can hear it
- definite → finish
- history → historic
- category → categorical
- medicine → medical
- 3
Don't drop a beat
- veg-e-ta-ble
- tem-per-a-ture
- en-vi-ron-ment
- gov-ern-ment
- par-li-a-ment
- 4
Learn the ending families
- -ary: dictionary, library, secretary, ordinary
- -ery: cemetery
- -ory: category, history
Watch out
- There's a rat in separate: sep-a-rat-e.
- cemetery has three e's, one for each step past the gates.
- desperate has an e after the p: des-per-ate.
Words to practise
Years 3 and 4 statutory words
- different
- separate
- library
- February
- interest
- history
- ordinary
- business
- medicine
Years 5 and 6 statutory words
- definite
- desperate
- category
- cemetery
- secretary
- dictionary
- vegetable
- temperature
- environment
- government
- parliament
- average
- privilege
- prejudice
Practise a few minutes a day
The daily spelling workout brings back the words your child finds tricky, and shows you which rules they need to revisit.