Spelling Hang-Ups
Other than multiple ways to spell sounds, there are several other hang-ups that cause people to struggle in learning to spell. Here is a basic outline of topics which are fleshed out fully with robust word lists in the book.
SILENT LETTERS
- B as in LAMB
- C as in INDICT
- D as in HANDSOME
- E as in TIME
- G as in GNOME
- GH as in EIGHT
- H as in HOUR
- K as in KNIGHT
- L as in WALK
- M as in MNEMONIC
- N as in HYMN
- O as in PEOPLE
- P as in PSALM
- R as in FEBRUARY
- S as in ISLAND
- T as in BALLET
- U as in GUIDE
- UE as in UNIQUE
- W as in WRECK
VOWEL HANG-UPS
- Single Vowels at the End of Words
- Vowel Teams with GH
- EI vs. IE
- When Y is a Vowel

CAPITALIZATION
- First letter of first word in a sentence
- First person subject pronoun
- Proper nouns (including name with two capital letters like LeBlanc)
- Words derived from proper nouns
- Abbreviations of territory or state names
- Titles, headings and headlines
- Acronymns
- Days of the week, months, holidays (not seasons)
- Beginning of lines of poetry
- Parts of letters and dialogue
- Creative emphasis
- Reverence
ACCENT MARKS
- Apostrophe ( ‘ )
- Hyphen ( – )
- Period ( . )
- Acute accent ( ´ )
- Grave accent ( ` )
- Circumflex accent ( ˆ )
- Umlaut ( ¨ )
- Tilde ( ~ )
- Ampersand ( & )
COMPOUND WORDS
- Closed as in HEADACHE
- Hyphenated as in LONG-TERM
- Open as in ICE CREAM
- Words mistaken for compound words such as COUNTERACT

PREFIX HANG-UPS
- Seven ways to express negation: UN-, DE-, DIS-, NON-, A-/AN-, AB-, IN-
- Ten forms of the prefix AD-
- EN- and IN-
- More prefixes that change to assimilate: CON-, DIS-, EX-, OB-, SUB- …

SUFFIX HANG-UPS
- Plurals
- Dual-purpose suffixes
- Past tense and past participles
- Three kinds of -Y
- -IFY vs. -EFY
- Five kinds of -EN
- Agent suffixes
- -ER, -AR, -OR (-OUR)
- -ERY, -ORY, -ARY
- Spelling [əl] (-LE, -EL, -AL, -IL, -ILE)
- -IC vs. -AC
- -ICLE, -ACLE, -ICAL, -ACAL
- -ATE
- -ION
- -ANT vs. -ENT
- -ABLE vs. -IBLE
BRITISH, AMERICAN & CANADIAN SPELLING
- Pronouncing the British R
- -ER vs. -RE
- -OR vs. -OUR
- Doubling L before vowel suffixes
- Pronouncing silent H
- -OG vs. -OGUE
- -ISE vs. -IZE
- -ENSE vs. -ENCE
- A vs. AE
- E vs. OE
- Other spelling differences in random words

WORDS ADOPTED FROM FOREIGN LANGUAGES
- FRENCH: QU is pronounced [k] as in antique. ET, É and EE are pronounced [e] as in ballet and matinee. CH is pronounced [ʃ] as in chef. Soft G is pronounced [ʒ] as in mirage, H is silent as in honor. EAU is pronounced [o] as in plateau.
- SPANISH: LL is pronounced [j] as in tortilla. J is pronounced [h] as in jalapeño. Ñ is pronounced [nj] as in piñata. H is silent as in hombre. QU is pronounce [k] as in quesadilla. Vowels are pure: A [ɑ], E [e], I [i], O [o] and U [u].
- GERMAN: SCH is pronounced [ʃ] as in schnitzel. Z is pronounced [s] after T as in pretzel. Many of the words in which EI is pronounced [ɑⁱ] are German: edelweiss, gesundheit and Rottweiler.
- ITALIAN: ZZ is pronounced [ts] as in pizza. GN is pronounced [nj] as in lasagna. C is pronounced [t͡ʃ] as in cello. CC is pronounced [k] as in stucco. SC is pronounced [ʃ] as in crescendo. SCH is pronounced [sk] as in bruschetta.
- YIDDISH: SCH is pronounced [ʃ] as in schmooze. Z is pronounced [s] after T as in schmutz. CH is pronounced [x] (velar fricative) as in chutzpah.

HOMONYMS & OTHER EASILY CONFUSED WORDS

Find over 400 sets of homonyms and easily confused words organized by grade level in the book.
OBSOLETE LETTERS
- Œ œ “Ethel” – a combination of O and E. Now spelled E or OE.
- Ȝ ȝ “Yogh” – like the velar fricative sound in Bach. This is now the GH found in eight (now silent) and tough.
- Æ æ “Ash” – a combination of A and E. Now spelled E or AE.
- Ƿ ƿ “Wynn” – a consonant W sound as in west.
- Þ þ “Thorn” – a voiceless interdental fricative as in þink (think) or wiþ (with). Now spelled TH.
- Ð ð “Eth” – a voiced interdental fricative as in ðis (this) or feaðer (feather). Now spelled TH.
- ſ “Long S” – a variant of lower case s. It was used at the beginning or middle of words, while only s was used at the end as in ſuper (super) or firſt (first). In a double S, the long S came before the regular s as in congreſs (congress). Now spelled S.
Giving reading these symbols a try in this story excerpt from The Parable of the Field Mouse, rendered here with obsolete letters:
