Ten Word Lists to Try
A few weeks ago we shared an article on how to use our word list feature. Now that you’ve had a bit of a practise, here are ten word lists to test yourself on.
Don’t forget: click on the ‘eye’ icon at the top of each list to take a ‘Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check’ test; click on the ‘ear’ icon to take a ‘Listen and Spell’ test; and click on the soccer ball icon to play games using your words.
- 50 Words Britons Struggle to Spell (part one, part two, and part three)
This list features commonly misspelled words. If you struggle to spell any of them, why not come up with a mnemonic before testing yourself?
- The Dirty Thirty Spelling List (part one and part two)
Like the words in the previous list, these words are so-often spelt incorrectly that examiners are likely to be watching out for them when marking papers. To help, we’ve put together a list of tricks to help you remember how to spell each word. Click here for part one and here for part two.
- Compound Words
Remember each word in this list is made up of two smaller words joined together. Watch out for those middle letters! Make sure you’re including both the last letter of the first word and the first letter of the second word.
- Contractions
A contraction is a shortened version of a word created by the omission of a sound, and, in writing, this omission is marked with an apostrophe. Practise the words in this list to make sure you’re putting your apostrophes in the correct places!
Read more about contractions here.
- Dict Words
Often, when you come across a new word, you can break it down into parts in order to try and figure out what it means and how to spell it. To help you do this, it is worth paying attention to word roots. The words in this list all contain the Latin root ‘dict’ which means ‘to say/speak’. Can you work out how the definition of each word is linked to its word root? Click here for word lists featuring other Latin word roots.
- Phon Words
The words in the list all contain the Greek root ‘phon’ which means ‘sound’. Again, can you work out how the definition of each word is linked to its word root? Click here for word lists featuring other Greek word roots.
- –ies Plurals
Use this list to practise the plural form of words ending in a consonant plus the letter ‘y’. Click here for other word lists on plural formations.
- Japanese Loanwords
Since loanwords originate in other languages, they don’t follow English spelling rules. Some loanwords, for example, take on English-influenced plurals, while others continue using the same plural form as in their language of origin.
- 20 Words for Said
Learning English? Want to show off how vast your vocabulary is? This is the word list for you! In the list, we look at twenty alternatives for the word ‘said’ to help you better convey the emotion you are trying to describe.
Don’t forget – while using alternatives to ‘said’ in may gain you extra marks in writing exams (for demonstrating a wide range of vocabulary), it is best to use them sparingly in professional writing.
- Onomatopoeic Words
This is another great list for building your vocabulary! An onomatopoeic word imitates the sound of the action or thing it describes. The words we use to describe the sounds animals make, for instance, are examples of onomatopoeia: chirp, hiss, meow, oink, squeak, etc. Onomatopoeic words are also often used to describe collisions (crash, bang, wallop, etc.); voice-related sounds (grunt, giggle, guffaw, rasp, wheeze, etc.); and water-related sounds (drip, gush, trickle, pitter-patter, etc.). Click here for some unusual examples of onomatopoeia.
Happy spelling!
13 Jul 2015
blog home
