Tricky words
A short captioned lesson on words you cannot sound out easily, and how to learn them, for children. Free, with a full transcript and teaching notes.
Read the whole lesson
Tricky words Hello! Most words we can sound out, one sound at a time. But some words are a little bit tricky. Today we will learn how to tackle them.
the Take the word the. If we sound it out we might say tuh, huh, eh. But we say the. Part of this word is tricky.
Look, say, think Here is how to learn a tricky word. First, look at it. Then say it. Then think: which part can I sound out, and which part is the tricky bit?
said In the word said, the s and the d make the sounds we expect. The tricky part is ai, which says eh. Let us put a star on that part.
was Now try was. W and s are fine. The a is tricky, because it says o. Say it with me: was. Point to the tricky letter.
Look cover write check Here is a trick. Look at the word, cover it, write it from memory, then check. Look, cover, write, check. It really works.
A few a day Practise a few every day. Two or three words is plenty, and in a week they will feel easy. Tricky words are just words you have not met enough yet.
Word detective You are a tricky word detective now. Go and look for the in your book today. How many can you find? See you soon!
For grown-ups Teaching notes
- Tricky words have a part that does not follow the sound a child expects. Examples: the, said, was, they. Most still have regular parts, so teach the tricky bit only.
- Ask children to say the word, say the sounds they can hear, then circle or point to the tricky letters.
- Do not overload. Introduce two or three tricky words per week and revisit them often.
- Pair with writing: look, say, cover, write, check works well.
Tip: pause the video after each picture, ask the child to say the answer, then press play.