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How can I help my child with spelling at home?

Quick answer

Practise spellings little and often across the week, rather than the night before the test. Look-say-cover-write-check is a good start, but it works better if your child also spots the tricky part of each word, links it to words in the same family and learns the rule or pattern behind it. Using the words in their own sentences helps them stick.

By the TapLearn team · Updated 23 October 2026 · Facts checked 23 October 2026 · For England

Weekly spelling lists

Most primary schools send home a weekly list, often based on a rule or pattern taught that week, such as adding "-ing" or words ending in "-tion". If the pattern isn't clear, ask the teacher. Knowing the rule makes a list much easier to learn than a set of unrelated words.

Spread practice across the week: five minutes on three or four days tends to work better than half an hour the night before. Come back to the words a week or two later as well. Spellings that are right on Friday often slip by the following month, and a quick revisit helps them last.

Look, say, cover, write, check, and how to get more from it

Many schools use this routine:

  1. Look at the word carefully.
  2. Say it aloud, sounding it out.
  3. Cover it up.
  4. Write it from memory.
  5. Check it, letter by letter.

It's a sound method, but it can slip into copying on autopilot. These additions make it more useful:

  • Spot the tricky part. Most of a word is usually spelt the way it sounds. Ask, "Which bit could catch you out?" In "friend" it's the "ie"; in "February" it's the first "r". Underline or colour just that part.
  • Say it as it's spelt. Some children remember "Wed-nes-day" or "bus-i-ness" by saying the hidden letters in a silly voice.
  • Use word families. "Signal" and "signature" explain the "g" in "sign". "Medical" helps with "medicine".
  • Learn the rule. "Hop" becomes "hopping" (double the last letter after a short vowel), but "hope" becomes "hoping" (drop the "e"). One rule covers many words.
  • Write it in a sentence. Using the word in a sentence they've made up shows they can spell it in real writing, not just in a list.
  • Make a memory hook for stubborn words: "necessary" has one collar and two sleeves (one "c", two "s"s).

The statutory word lists for Years 3 to 6

The national curriculum includes two lists of words children are expected to learn to spell: one for Years 3 and 4, and one for Years 5 and 6. They include words such as "believe", "different" and "February" (Years 3 and 4) and "accommodate", "necessary" and "rhythm" (Years 5 and 6). Before that, children in Years 1 and 2 learn "common exception words" such as "said", "because" and "people".

Both lists, with the spelling rules for each year, are in English appendix 1: spelling, part of the national curriculum on GOV.UK. Schools usually spread the words across the two years, so there's no need to drill a whole list at once. A few words a week, used in sentences, is enough.

Homophones

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings: "there", "their" and "they're"; "to", "too" and "two"; "here" and "hear". They start in Year 2 and come up throughout Key Stage 2.

Sounding out can't help here, so your child needs to link each spelling to its meaning. Memory hooks work well: "hear" has an "ear" in it, and "here" is hiding in "there" and "where", which are all about places. A short sentence for each ("Their dog is over there") helps them choose the right one.

Right in the test, wrong in their writing?

This is very common. In a spelling test, all your child's attention is on spelling. In a story, they're also juggling ideas, handwriting and punctuation, so spellings slip. It doesn't mean the practice was wasted. Encourage them to reread their writing afterwards and check one or two words they know are tricky for them. Keep praise for their ideas separate from spelling corrections, so they keep wanting to write.

If spelling seems much harder for your child than for others, or isn't moving on, talk to the class teacher.

Spelling games on TapLearn

TapLearn has spelling games for each year group, following the rules and word lists in the national curriculum. Flip's quick review brings back words your child met earlier, which is designed for the "knew it on Friday, forgot it by Monday" problem.

Questions parents ask

How many spellings should my child learn each week?

It varies by school and year group, and lists usually follow one pattern. If the list feels too long or too short for your child, ask the teacher; many are happy to adjust it.

What are common exception words?

They are words in Years 1 and 2 that don't follow the usual phonics patterns, or use a pattern children haven't learned yet, such as "said", "because" and "people". Children learn the unusual part by heart.

Where can I find the Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 spelling lists?

They are in English appendix 1: spelling, part of the national curriculum for England on GOV.UK. Your child's school may also send them home.

Is spelling tested in the Year 6 SATs?

Yes. The grammar, punctuation and spelling test on Monday 10 May 2027 includes a spelling paper, where words are read aloud and children write them into sentences.

Sources

Related guides

Written by the TapLearn team for parents and carers in England. Schools teach in different orders and ways, so your child's teacher is always the best person to ask about your child. Spotted something out of date? Please email us at [email protected].