How to Improve Your Spelling Skills, College Tips

Are you having trouble with spelling words? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Many people find it challenging to spell words, most especially that we have auto-correct features in our smartphones and computers. However, knowing how to do it manually still has a lot of benefits. Come to think of it. An auto-correct feature is not always available. But that doesn’t mean you will stop sending emails, letters, or essays. So how are you going to do it? Here are some of the ways that could help you improve your skill.  

Put Down Your Gadgets  

If you want to be better when spelling words, we encourage you to stay away from your gadgets first. The reason for this is that you can avoid some of the auto-correct software. These are usually default in any gadget and you might not exert effort to learn the actual spelling. After all, you have something to do the job for you.  

List Down Commonly Misspelled Words 

We encourage you to have an actual notebook and pen. Think of the words that you usually misspell and look them up either online or from a real dictionary. Write it down countless times and you would soon spell these words without much of a challenge.  

Likewise, think of words that other people usually misspell. Do the same thing as we’ve mentioned above. 

Read As Much As You Can  

You probably know this already, but reading is essential not just to boost your comprehension, but to also improve your spelling skills. As you get to see new words, we suggest that you write them down by hand. Again, doing so manually will have better retention. This is not hearsay, but rather a fact backed up by scientific studies.  

Known The Origin Of The Word  

Have you ever watched a spelling competition? If yes, you would oftentimes hear participants ask about the origin of the word. And that is for a good reason. When you know its origins, you will know certain patterns in how they spell words. From there, you can spell the words correctly even if haven’t checked the dictionary just yet.  

Break It Into Pieces  

If the words are too long for you, then you can always break them down so you can memorize them better. Take for example the word embarrassed. Instead of trying to spell the entire word in just one blow, you can do it by splitting it into shorter ones. Try em-bar-ras-sed. Trust us, you’d find this technique useful.  

Speak It Out  

You can also try to verbalize or to say the word out loud if you wish to spell it correctly. Of course, this doesn’t work for all words. So you have to use this approach with caution.  

Draw Pictures  

Do you think this is only best for kids? Well, this technique works well with adults too. If you have words that you are having a hard time spelling, you can draw them as well. Again, this increases retention, and you would be able to remember the words associated with your drawings. 

Take note too that you can do the same when you are studying hard lessons. If there are concepts that you are having trouble understanding, then just draw them first. Have icons and small images that will make your learning fun, exciting, and effective.  

Play Games  

For others, this might not make sense. However, there are several word games that you and your friends could play on Friday nights. How about the classic game of Scrabble? To make it even cooler, you can have a couple of beers while you are doing it. Who says that learning how to spell should be boring?  

By the way, there are also apps that you can download where you can hone your spelling skills.  

Practice With Your Friends  

If you need help, you can always ask your friends if they could ask you to spell more difficult words. Let them choose and don’t be offended if they will give you long and complex ones. Instead, write these down and check the correct spelling after.  

Mastering this skill isn’t an overnight success. But if you are committed and you are willing to go the extra mile, we are sure you are going to improve in no time.