The Alphabet and Spelling in English

Hey everyone, how are things?

In today’s blog we are going to look at the alphabet in English and its pronunciation as well as seeing if there are any techniques to make spelling in English a little easier.

Is learning the phonetics quickly a good idea?

When learning how to spell in English, knowing the phonetics really helps. It is important that you memorise and practise the sounds to make life easier.

Alphabet and phonetics

• A = [eɪ],
• B = [biː]
• C = [siː]
• D = [diː]
• E = [iː]
• F = [ɛf]
• G = [dʒiː]
• H = [eɪtʃ]
• I = [aɪ]
• J = [dʒeɪ]
• K = [keɪ]
• L = [ɛl]
• M = [ɛm]
• N = [ɛn]
• O = [oʊ]
• P = [piː]
• Q = [kjuː]
• R = [ɑr]
• S = [ɛs]
• T = [tiː]
• U = [juː]
• V = [viː]
• W = [ˈdʌbəl juː]
• X = [ɛks]
• Y = [waɪ]
• Z = [zɛd] (British English) and [ziː] in U.S English.

These are the only sounds that you should be using when you spell in English, however it is important to remember that many letters in English do have more than one sound when they appear in certain words.

Are there any tips for spelling in English?

Spelling in English can be rather difficult at times as there are many words which are not spelt like they are pronounced, so it can be a matter of memorisation.

A few rules to follow:

• English words do not end in “-V” or “-J”
• To create the past tense, add “-ED” unless the verb is irregular
• Generally to create a plural noun we add “-S”, (there are a few exceptions)”

Can all of these be memorised?

Memorising all of the many spelling rules in English would be very difficult. The best way to do it is to practise little by little remembering more information every time.