Explore Exception Words

In this activity, we’re going to be looking at exception words.

Exception words are words which do not follow normal spelling rules and patterns.

They like to be different and stand out among the crowds! 

I don’t blame them but this does make the spellings harder to learn.

Here are the exception words we’re going to be looking at in this activity:

Read through the list and check you can read each word first.

Here are some handy tips to help us remember the spelling of these exception words:

1. Look for words within the words

Look at the word learn:

learn

Can you see  the word ear hiding in the middle of learn?

When we listen with our ears, we often learn something new.

Look at the next word:

notice

Can you see that this word is made up of two words? Not and ice.

Here’s another one:

often

This has the word ten hidden in it!

Can you see any words hiding in these three words?

potatoes

recent

question 

therefore

knowledge

Potatoes has pot and toes hidden in it! This creates an image of a pot full of toes in my mind (or potatoes with toes). Yuck!

Recent has cent hidden in it. Like the coins used in America.

Question has quest hidden in it. When we ask a question, we’re on a quest for the answer!

Therefore has there at the beginning of the word.

Knowledge is made from know + ledge.

2 . Say the word how it is spelt

Look at the word below:

length

Read it aloud and make sure you stress each individual letter sound. Next time you go to write this word, imagine yourself saying every single sound.

We can do this for these words too:

library = lib - ra -ry

quarter = qu - ar - ter

strange = str - ang - e

3 . Split the word up into its syllables

To help us remember other spellings, we can break them down into syllables.

perhaps = per + haps

popular = pop + u + lar

regular = reg + u + lar

remember = rem + em + ber

special = spe + cial

separate = sep + ar + ate

possible = poss + i + ble

particular = par + tic + u + lar

opposite = opp + o + site

Some words are a bit more awkward and we just have to learn them:

occasion

occasionally

opposite

In this activity, you’ll be answering questions about this set of words. Good luck.