Mnemonics - Brain tricks or Memory Joggers to help with those Difficult Spelling Words

Mnemonics, in the dictionary, states a verse or the like intended to assist the memory.

That is exactly what spelling mnemonics are all about - creating a verse or phrase to help us remember how to spell the more difficult words. Mnemonics are also called, memory joggers, memory aids, or brain tricks. Often the sillier they are the easier they are to remember.

I have included a list of mnemonics that I have come across over the years. These mnemonics have come from many different sources.

• PIEce of PIE
• You hEAR with your EAR
• There is a LIE in beLIEve
• You ADD your ADDress
• Four, fourteen, but u can't be forty.
• Is it a son or sun? - A son is a boy and they both have an o.
• A friEND is always there when the END comes.
• FRI the END of your friend.
• I before E except after C - and when saying "A" as in neighbour or weigh and weird is just weird
• Separate is A RAT of a word to spell
• Always smell A RAT when you spell separate.
• When 2 vowels go walking the first does the talking. Eg eat
• The silent e makes the vowel say it's name. eg mat/mate
• Would you rather have one "S" or two? Twice as much for dessert. deSSert - two s's; deSert - one s
• When you eat deSSert you always come back for the second s.
• DeSSert - Sweet stuff
• A deSSert is Super Sweet and a deSert is Sandy
• Your principal is your PAL - the difference between principal and principle
• "TO GET HER" - remember how to spell together because if you "get her", you'll be together.
• When you assume you make an ass out of u and me
• One Collar, two Socks - a reminder of how to spell necessary
• Rhythm - Rhythm has your two hands moving.
• Because - Big elephants can always understand small elephants.
• Your SECRETary will keep your SECRET
• BR! Its FeBRuary in England
• Currant/Current - There is an ANT eating the currANT bun. So currant is the food and current is the flowing river.
• Practice/Practise - ICE is a noun so practICE is a noun and practise is a verb - Soccer practice improves your game, so you need to practise regularly.
• Accommodation - there are 2 caravans and 2 motels
• Meat/meet - I like to eat meat
• An island is land
• Where, here, there, everywhere - Place names all have here in them
• Stationary/stationery - Stationery contains er and so does paper; stationary (not moving) contains ar and so does car
• Loose/Lose - Loops are Loose and it is easy to lose a shoe.
• Where ever there is a Q there is a U too.
• Teacher - there is an ache in every teacher.
• Affect - is the action
• Effect - is the result or end.
• There is a bus in business
• Complement/Compliment - Complement adds something to make it enough and a compliment puts you in the limelight.
• You should be sure of your Measurements before you start work.
• Special - The CIA have special agents.

There are many more mnemonics I am sure.

Next time your child has a problem with a more difficult spelling word - see if the two of you can create your own memory aid or mnemonic to help remember it by.