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Year 4 · English

Spelling Awareness

Year 4 learners practise spelling rules for tricky letter sounds.

The activities include Choose ch or sh to Spell Different Words, Choose i or y to Spell Different Words, Choose u or ou to Spell Different Words, and related practice. The checked support below includes video, worksheet, teaching, lesson. Open a resource in its provider's website and choose the format that best helps the learner explain the idea independently.

Understand the key idea

The same sound can be represented by different letter patterns. Accurate spelling uses sound, syllables, word families and known spelling patterns together, then checks words that do not follow the usual pattern.

Common mix-up

A spelling that sounds right is not always the standard spelling. Rules such as consonant doubling and choices between ch, sh, i, y, u and ou have exceptions that must be checked and remembered.

Try this first

  1. Say the word slowly and identify its syllables and individual sounds.
  2. Look for a known root word, word family or spelling pattern.
  3. Write the likely spelling, compare alternatives and check any exception in a dictionary or trusted word list.

Ask: Which spelling pattern fits this word, and is it one of the exceptions you need to remember?

Activities covered

  • Choose ch or sh to Spell Different Words
  • Choose i or y to Spell Different Words
  • Choose u or ou to Spell Different Words
  • Develop Skills in Spelling Tricky Words
  • Identify the Use of ch to Spell the 'k' Phoneme
  • Identify Whether to Use ch or sh
  • Identify Whether to Use i or y
  • Identify Whether to Use u or ou
  • Identify Words that Use ch to Spell the 'k' Phoneme
  • Investigate Exceptions to the Rule of Using ck for the k Phoneme
  • Learn to Spell Tricky Words
  • Learn to Spell Words Beginning with 'c' and 'k'
  • Practise Spelling Commonly Misspelt Words
  • Practise Spelling Complex Words
  • Practise Spelling Exceptions to the Doubling Consonant Rule
  • Practise Spelling More Commonly Misspelt Words
  • Practise Spelling Words Using ck or k
  • Practise Spelling Words Using i or y
  • Practise Spelling Words Using the 'k' Phoneme
  • Spell Commonly Misspelt Words
  • Spell Two-Syllable Words with Short Vowels and Double Consonants
  • Spell Words Using ch or sh
  • Spell Words Using u or ou
  • Understand When to Double the Consonant in Two-Syllable Words

Checked learning resources