The document discusses the reasons school students commit spelling mistakes, citing factors such as complicated spelling rules, pronunciation discrepancies, mother tongue interference, confusion with homophones, and carelessness. It also highlights the impact of dyslexia on spelling abilities and variations between British and American English. Suggested measures for improvement include spelling games, phonetic teaching, and word analysis.

1. Why do the school students commit spelling
mistakes?
By
P.Chidhambaram
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

2. Why is it a problem?
 Wrong spelling brings communication breakdown
between the writers and the readers.
e.g, His diseased (deceased) aunt left a will.
 A person’s intelligence and his level of education are
judged by his spelling.
The wrong spelling misleads the teacher.
e.g, Antony is jealous (zealous)
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

3. Spelling and Misspelling
 According to Hornby
“Spelling is the act of forming words correctly from
individual letter”.
 According to Al-Jarf (2010),
Any word that does not match the target word in part or in
full is marked as a misspelling.
e.g, reminiscince (reminiscence)
 Further Al-Jarf states
“any graphemes that are added, deleted, substituted by
another or reversed are counted as misspelling”.
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

4. The spelling Error Corpus
 The spelling error corpus is divided into the following
groups:
 (i) whole word error;
e.g, otients (audience)
 (ii) words containing one error;
e.g, bisy (busy), battl (battle)
 (iii) words containing two errors; and so on.
e.g, koech (coach), krasy (crazy)
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

5. Why do the school students commit spelling
mistakes?
1. Complicated spelling rules:example,
”Words ending in “y” following a consonant usually change “y”
to “I” before any suffix.
Hence,
Carry + ed ……………………………….carried.
Marry + ed…………………………………Married.
But,
Carry + ing………………………………….Carrying instead of Carring.
Marry + ing…………………………………Marrying instead of Marring.
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

6.  2. Lack of correspondence between spelling
and pronunciation
e.g.,
rendezvous,
bourgeois.
3. Mother Tongue Interference
e.g.,
Wake…………vake
rhythm…………..ritham
Good………..gud
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

7.  4. Confusing Homophones
e.g.,
Sea and see
Here and hear
5. Silent letters
e.g.
/k/ sound /b/ sound /h/ sound and /l/ sound in the below words are
not pronounced.
Knee,
Talk
Comb
Honour
Kneel
Psalm
Crumb
Honest
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

8. 6.Variation in British and American spelling
1.Final –l is always doubled after one vowel in
stressed and unstressed syllables in British English but
usually only in stressed syllables in American English.
Words
Rebel
Travel
British English American English
rebelled
rebeled
travelled
traveled
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

9. 2. Some words end in-tre in British English and –ter in
American English.
e.g.,
American English
British English
Center
Theater
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.
Centre
Theatre

10. 7. Carelessness / Inattention,
Many spelling mistakes are caused by inattention
e.g.,
Compasion (compassion)
Satarize (satirize)
8. Dyslexia
“Dyslexia is a broad term defining a learning
disability that impairs a person’s fluency or
accuracy in being able to read, speak and spell”
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

11. Suggestive Measures to overcome spelling
mistakes
 Spelling games,
 Teaching phonetics,
 Teaching group of words,
e.g,1. Words ending in –ence,
Convenience, difference, experience.
2. Words ending in –ness,
cleanness, greenness,plainness
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.

12.  Providing ample opportunities to practise
 Computer programs
 Word study
Analysis of words by breaking them down into their
component (base, prefix, suffix)

Unknowingly
Base…knowing,
prefix….un
suffix…….ly
P. CHIDHAMBARAM, J.N.V GANJAM.