Humanities

Top Ten Spelling Rules

5 CQ

Learn the top ten spelling rules for English. This lesson from How to Spell also discusses helpful strategies to improve spelling. Don’t forget the exceptions!

  • Recommended Recommended
  • History & In Progress History
  • Browse Library
  • Most Popular Library

Get Personalized Recommendations

Let us help you figure out what to learn! By taking a short interview you’ll be able to specify your learning interests and goals, so we can recommend the perfect courses and lessons to try next.

Start Interview

You don't have any lessons in your history.
Just find something that looks interesting and start learning!

12 Comments
500 characters max
Diane M
Thank you I am a horrible speller and this TRULY helped. I now will be able to explain "why" to my child.
How to Spell
Thanks, Diane, that's great to know. Hope you enjoy the other lessons.
500 characters max
Clemens H
Hello, there are so many rules and exceptions. I think,they help you for the beginning but earlier ore later most of them you won´t remember.However it is true: Not only are you smart, you're also good looking!You will see the right letter patterns,won´t you? Cle
How to Spell
Thanks Cle
500 characters max
Deborah M
Enjoyed the lesson.
How to Spell
Hi Deborah, thank you for the comment I appreciate it. So glad you enjoyed the lesson, Joanne
500 characters max
Sylvia S
Thank you for an interesting lesson. It would have been great to have you for a teacher when I was in school.
How to Spell
Hi Sylvia, thanks for your lovely comment. I had awful teachers too, and it would have been good to have learnt all the spelling strategies and spelling rules I now know.
500 characters max
Jeanette P
That was really good, thank you for the summary :-) Just one thing: I was taught (over and over) "It's not all right to write alright." Has the rule changed?
How to Spell
Hi Jeanette, thank you for your comment, I appreciate it. Yes, alright is all right to use but all right should be used in formal writing! According to the Oxford Dictionary: "There is no logical reason for insisting that all right should be written as two words rather than as alright, when other single-word forms such as altogether have long been accepted. Nevertheless, alright is still regarded as being unacceptable in formal writing."
Jeanette P
Thank you. I've been wondering about it for a long time. I don't want to keep telling my overseas students that alright isn't alright, when they see it in newspapers, magazines, novels, etc. I've made a note of your course. Cheers!
How to Spell
Language changes, words move in and out of fashion, but some people still get very snobby about "alright."
500 characters max