The note
How schools teach it now
Not taught in school, but it uses spelling. The 11+ strategy: take the hardest pair first, list the letters that fit it, then test only those letters on the other pairs. The right letter must work in every pair.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Take turns with a pair of Scrabble tiles or magnets: put out STA _ and _ EAR. Your child tries letters in the gap to make two words at once (STAR and REAR). Then add a second pair to see which letter still works.
Worked example
Find the letter that ends the first word and starts the second in both pairs: kne [ ? ] ait gro [ ? ] ise
- kne_ and _ait: w makes knew and wait.
- Test w on the second pair: grow and wise.
- Other letters may fit one pair, but only w fits both.
Answer: w
Common mistakes to watch for
- Choosing a letter that fits one pair but not the other.
- Checking only the first word in each pair.
- Not trying less common letters such as w, k or y.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “One letter has to work everywhere. Testing each pair is the smart move.”
- Rather than
- “Stop guessing letters at random.”