What does a child have to do to resolve an irregular spelling in the 11+?

Choose the conventional spelling where a simple sound rule is insufficient. It is one of 41 named English skills in the 11+, in the spelling strand, and this page carries 1 interactive exercise that practises it.

What is the trap in an 11+ resolve an irregular spelling question?

The spelling that matches how the word sounds is usually the wrong one; that is what makes these words worth learning. The wrong answers on this skill are built out of that, not out of random numbers, so it is worth naming out loud before your child meets it under time pressure.

What is not part of resolve an irregular spelling in the 11+?

The skill map draws the line here: This is orthographic recall, not vocabulary meaning. A question past that line is testing a different named English skill, which is worth knowing before you spend a week practising the wrong one.

Which other 11+ skills should we practise alongside resolve an irregular spelling?

The spelling strand holds 3 skills that are tested together, and the pages next to resolve an irregular spelling are apply a prefix or suffix and form a plural. Each has its own exercise and its own link, and none of them needs an account.

How can my child practise resolve an irregular spelling for free?

Use Spelling Surgeon, embedded on this page. It is the exercise the skill map attaches to resolve an irregular spelling, it runs in the browser with no account to make, these exercises are not scored and do not save learner records. The separate quiz sends answers for marking and shows a score, without saving an assessment record. It also has its own link, so you can send it to a child without sending them anywhere else first.

English · Spelling

Resolve an irregular spelling

Choose the conventional spelling where a simple sound rule is insufficient.

Watch the worked example

Open the video page

Crack the Irregular Spelling

This video shows how to choose the correct spelling of words that cannot be spelt by a simple sound rule alone. Watch an 11+ English question solved step by step.

0:00 / 2:35

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Read the transcript

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Quick quiz: Resolve an irregular spelling

10 questions, with feedback after each one. No sign-up needed.

Read the questions in this quiz

Question 1
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The volunteers packed every _____ item into the school minibus."
- A.necessery
- B.necassary
- C.neccessary
- D.necessary
Question 2
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The headteacher decided a second rehearsal was _____ in the hall."
- A.necassary
- B.necessary
- C.neccessary
- D.necessery
Question 3
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The whistle blew and _____ the footballers stopped running."
- A.immediately
- B.imediately
- C.immadiately
- D.immediataly
Question 4
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The twins never _____ each other in front of the playground."
- A.emberrass
- B.embarress
- C.embarrass
- D.embarass
Question 5
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The science _____ goes back onto the laboratory trolley."
- A.equipmant
- B.equipment
- C.equiptment
- D.eqquipment
Question 6
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The minibus cannot _____ the whole orchestra comfortably."
- A.accommudate
- B.accommodete
- C.accommodate
- D.accomodate
Question 7
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The classroom _____ stays calm throughout the morning register."
- A.enviroment
- B.environment
- C.enveronment
- D.environmant
Question 8
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "A rumbling _____ interrupts the afternoon register."
- A.stomache
- B.stumach
- C.stomach
- D.stomech
Question 9
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The greenhouse smells _____ sweet after the gardener waters it."
- A.especialy
- B.espcially
- C.espacially
- D.especially
Question 10
Which spelling belongs in the gap? "The _____ exchange visitors join the assembly."
- A.foreign
- B.forreign
- C.foriegn
- D.fureign

Practise it now

Sweep the magnifier along the sentence. One word is spelt wrong, so tap it, then operate.

Loading the interactive exercise. Nothing you do here is saved or scored.

A worked example

One question of the kind this skill is tested with, worked all the way through: the reasoning, and what the wrong answers are there to catch.

Words that break their own pattern

Which spelling belongs in the gap? "Niamh was late _____ the school minibus broke down again."

Work one word out and find the trick that fixes it for good.

becuase
because
bacause
beccause

Answer: because

How you get there

"because" is the spelling the gap wants. Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants: b-e-c-a-u-s-e. The a comes before the u. Beside it, "becuase" is wrong: The right letters are after the letters "bec", but in the wrong order: it is "au", not "ua".

Why the other answers tempt

The spelling that matches how the word sounds is usually the wrong one; that is what makes these words worth learning.

If they are stuck, say this

Find the letters where the options differ, then use this memory clue: Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants: b-e-c-a-u-s-e. The a comes before the u.

Now do it live in Spelling Surgeon

Kitchen-table script for parents

Try this together

A friendly mini script for the breakfast table, school run or a quiet two minutes. Read it aloud as written, or make it your own.

Ready? Let's have a go at Resolve an irregular spelling together. Work one word out and find the trick that fixes it for good. Here comes the question: Which spelling belongs in the gap? "Niamh was late _____ the school minibus broke down again." Before we race ahead, let us choose one good first step. Here is a helpful clue: Find the letters where the options differ, then use this memory clue: Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants: b-e-c-a-u-s-e. Nice work. Now let us follow the thinking: Beside it, "becuase" is wrong: The right letters are after the letters "bec", but in the wrong order: it is "au", not "ua". So our answer is: because. There is one sneaky trap to watch for: The spelling that matches how the word sounds is usually the wrong one; that is what makes these words worth learning. Can you show me that first move again in your own words? Brilliant. No rush; we are practising a method you can reuse, not trying to win a speed contest.

What this exercise is doing

Spelling Surgeon

Sweep the magnifier along the sentence. One word is spelt wrong, so tap it, then operate.

"posible" should be "possible". A letter has gone missing after the letters "pos": the spelling needs "s" there. Possible ends in -ible, the same as terrible and horrible. Only the two ss are doubled. Proofreading is not reading faster, it is reading slower: one word at a time, letter by letter.

What to say if they get stuck

Read it slowly under the lens, one word at a time, and look at the letters rather than at the meaning.
The poorly word has 7 letters. Copy it out and compare it letter by letter with the spelling you know.
A letter has gone missing after the letters "pos": the spelling needs "s" there.

Open Spelling Surgeon on its own page to share it

Related english skills

Apply a prefix or suffixForm a word by adding one prefix or suffix with the required spelling change.
Form a pluralApply the spelling change needed to form one plural noun.

All english 11+ skills

Questions parents ask about resolve an irregular spelling

What this skill involves, common mistakes and ways to practise it at home.

: Choose the conventional spelling where a simple sound rule is insufficient. It is one of 41 named English skills in the 11+, in the spelling strand, and this page carries 1 interactive exercise that practises it.
: The spelling that matches how the word sounds is usually the wrong one; that is what makes these words worth learning. The wrong answers on this skill are built out of that, not out of random numbers, so it is worth naming out loud before your child meets it under time pressure.
: Point at the next move rather than explaining the whole rule. Find the letters where the options differ, then use this memory clue: Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants: b-e-c-a-u-s-e. The a comes before the u.
: The skill map draws the line here: This is orthographic recall, not vocabulary meaning. A question past that line is testing a different named English skill, which is worth knowing before you spend a week practising the wrong one.
: The spelling strand holds 3 skills that are tested together, and the pages next to resolve an irregular spelling are apply a prefix or suffix and form a plural. Each has its own exercise and its own link, and none of them needs an account.
: Use Spelling Surgeon, embedded on this page. It is the exercise the skill map attaches to resolve an irregular spelling, it runs in the browser with no account to make, these exercises are not scored and do not save learner records. The separate quiz sends answers for marking and shows a score, without saving an assessment record. It also has its own link, so you can send it to a child without sending them anywhere else first.

Comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation are four different problems

A free diagnostic separates them, so practice goes where the gap actually is rather than on whichever one is easiest to set.