Editing Techniques: Checking Your Spelling Created by Kathryn Reilly

Using Spell Check An electronic spell check program is a great first review of a paper. However, spell check programs can make mistakes, or miss errors within the text. It is always best to use a spell check program and a human pair of eyes (or several!).

Common Spelling Rules “i” before “e” except after “c”. – receive “i” before “e” except with the sound “a”. – neighbor – weigh “Qu” usually appears as a pair. “Q” is rarely alone. – quiet, quite, quarrel

Common Spelling Rules: Plurals Generally, plural words need an “s”. – cats, dogs, pens, hats, tables If the word ends in a y, the plural form usually ends in “ies” – baby  babies – daisy  daisies – candy  candies If the word ends in an s, sh, ch, or x, add an “es”. – fox  foxes – brush  brushes

Spelling Mistakes: Homophones Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently. Spell check programs often miss these spelling errors because the words are spelled correctly, but are being used in the wrong context. – Sea vs. see – Their, they’re, there – Here, hear – Cite, sight, site – Bear, bare – Are, our – Aunt, ant – Know, no A writer should be familiar with common homophones, or conduct an internet search to learn more about them.

Best Practices After using an electronic spell checking program, a writer should review each word carefully on a printed copy of the paper. If the writer is unsure of a word, he or she should highlight it. After reviewing the entire paper, the writer can easily check words he or she is uncertain about in a print or online dictionary.

Checking Spelling Review Electronic spell checking programs are a good start, but they can make mistakes. The writer should review his or her own paper, reading each word carefully. The writer should memorize common spelling rules and look for errors, especially regarding homophones. The writer should ask a peer or adult to review the paper. A fresh set of eyes always helps!