Spelling & Word Study

24 Skills in English. 16 are ready to try — three verified questions each, no account needed.

Ready to try

Ages 4–7
Phonics Vocabulary
Know and use the vocabulary of phonics and word structure — phoneme, grapheme, GPC (grapheme-phoneme correspondence), blend, segment, digraph, CVC, vowel, consonant, syllable, root word, suffix, prefix, and homophone — and understand that…
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 4–7
Segmenting words into sounds
Segment spoken words into phonemes and spell CVC and simple phonetically regular words by writing a letter or letters for each sound
26 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–8
Spelling from Dictation
Write simple sentences from memory when dictated by the teacher, applying taught GPCs, spelling rules, and common exception words
5 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–6
Spelling Verb Endings
Spell words with common suffixes (-s/-es for plurals and third person verbs, -ing, -ed, -er, -est) where no change to the root word is needed
16 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 5–8
Tricky words
Spell common exception words from memory that do not follow regular phonic patterns, including the days of the week
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–9
Alternative Spellings for Sounds
Spell words using alternative grapheme choices for known phonemes, learning new spellings for sounds already encountered (e.g., /ɔ:/ as 'a' before ll, /ʌ/ as 'o', words ending -tion), including distinguishing common homophones
9 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–7
Spelling Contracted Forms
Spell contracted forms correctly by placing the apostrophe where letters are omitted (can't, didn't, I'll, it's, etc.)
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 6–7
Suffixes
Apply suffix spelling rules that require changes to the root word: dropping final -e before vowel suffixes, changing -y to -i, doubling final consonants in short-vowel words; use suffixes -ment, -ness, -ful, -less, -ly
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–10
Apostrophes for possession (age 7+)
Use the possessive apostrophe accurately with both regular and irregular plural nouns (e.g., the girls' bags, the children's toys), distinguishing singular from plural possession
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Homophones
Distinguish and correctly spell common homophones and near-homophones encountered at Y3-4 level (e.g., accept/except, affect/effect, brake/break, grate/great), including using the /eɪ/ sound spelt ei, eigh, or ey
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–9
Spelling Word Lists (age 7+)
Spell words from the statutory word list for Years 3 and 4, including commonly misspelt words that do not follow regular patterns
13 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 7–11
Using a Dictionary to Check Spellings
Use the first two or three letters of a word to check its spelling in a dictionary; consult reference materials including beginning dictionaries to verify and correct spellings
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–10
Spelling -able & -ible
Spell words ending in -able/-ible and the corresponding adverb forms -ably/-ibly, applying patterns to determine which suffix to use based on the root word
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–10
Spelling Word Lists (age 9+)
Spell words from the statutory word list for Years 5 and 6, including words with irregular or uncommon spelling patterns that must be learned individually
10 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 9–10
Suffixes (age 9+)
Spell words with Latin and French suffix patterns: endings sounding like /ʃəs/ spelt -cious or -tious (e.g., precious, cautious), /ʃəl/ spelt -cial or -tial (e.g., official, essential), and words ending in -ant/-ance/-ancy vs -ent/-ence/-e…
7 verified questions on this shelf
Ages 11–14
Applying Spelling Rules to Complex Words
Spell correctly and consistently, applying the spelling patterns and rules from KS1-2 to increasingly complex vocabulary encountered in KS3 reading and subject-specific study
9 verified questions on this shelf

Being planted

These Skills are on the map, but their questions are still being written and checked.

Ages 5–6
The Prefix un-
Coming soon
Ages 6–8
Apostrophes for possession
Coming soon
Ages 7–10
Prefixes (age 7+)
Coming soon
Ages 7–9
Suffixes (age 7+)
Coming soon
Ages 8–10
Spellings from Greek, French and Latin
Coming soon
Ages 9–10
Advanced Spelling Conventions
Coming soon
Ages 9–10
Homophones (age 9+)
Coming soon
Ages 9–10
Silent Letters in Words
Coming soon

Skill names and descriptions include the Marble Skill Taxonomy © Generative Spark, Inc. (withmarble.com), licensed under ODbL 1.0 (database) and CC BY-SA 4.0 (content). Practice questions are GlowGrades's own, each checked by independent verifiers that must agree before a child ever sees it.