Glossary
adjacent consonants
Sometimes referred to as blends: consonants side-by-side in a word, with no vowel sound between them
affix
A morpheme attached to a base word; prefixes and suffixes are affixes
aide memoire
An easy-to-learn, easy-to-remember reminder
alliteration
Use of the same consonants to begin a series of words e.g. "Two toads totally tired tried to trot to Tilbury"
alphabet knowledge
Knowledge of letter-names, and of alphabetical order
analogy
In reading and spelling, the same string of letters appearing in different words
analysis
In spelling, the segmentation (1) of words into their component sounds. See analytic phonics
analytic phonics
An approach to phonics which guides learners to recognise letter-sound matches within whole words, and focuses on learning from the analysis of words. Compare synthetic phonics
articulation
Speaking a word out loud
assembly
In spelling, putting sounds together to make a word; see also re-assembly
auditory
To do with the sense of hearing
aural
To do with the sense of hearing
auditory discrimination
In spelling, the ability to hear the separate sounds in a word, and to be aware of having heard them
auditory memorisation
In spelling, committing to memory a string of sounds in a word, in their correct order
base word
A word to which affixes are attached
blends
Consonants side-by-side in a word, with no vowel sound between them
blending
The running together of adjacent consonants in reading
building
The assembly of a whole word from its component sounds, and the letters that represent those sounds
CVC, CCVC words etc.
Abbreviations such as CVC refer to the make-up of a word, in this case: a three-letter word comprising consonant-vowel-consonant
closed syllable
A syllable in which the vowel sound has a consonant before and after it
consonant
A speech sound that is made with some part of the mouth blocked, as opposed to a vowel, which is made with the mouth open; also, a letter that represents such a speech sound
context
Words that surround a word and pictures that accompany a word, which help to explain its meaning
continuum
In learning to spell, a term to describe the on-going development of knowledge and skills in spelling, progressing through various stages; however, these stages tend to blend into each other so gradually they overlap. See Warning: the stages have fuzzy boundaries
digraph
A grapheme made up of two letters
drafting
Writing the versions of a piece of writing that precede the finished version (see proof reading)
editing
Making changes to a piece of writing, usually after proof reading
etymology
The study of the origins of words, and the history of how they have arrived at their meaning; See Work within Words
glue ear
This is a notorious obstacle to learning letter-sound matches. This common childhood condition arises when the middle ear fills with glue-like fluid instead of air. This causes dulled hearing. In most cases it clears without any treatment. An operation to clear the fluid and to insert grommets may be advised if glue ear persists. Many a struggling speller has caught up quite rapidly once this condition has been identified and put right
GPC
Grapheme-phoneme correspondence: a match between a speech sound and the a letter, or combination of letters, which represents that speech sound
grapheme
A letter or combination of letters (can be two, three and occasionally four) which represents one speech sound or phoneme
grapheme-phoneme correspondence
A match between a speech sound and the one or more letters which represent that speech sound; abbreviated as GPC; See also letter-sound match
homonym
A word that has more than one meaning e.g. bear: The bare branch could not bear the bear
incremental principle
A policy governing the choice of words in Main StarSpell Lists and Yr2 to KS3 Support: each word list introduces only one new letter-sound match; so, the lists never include new letter-sound matches additional to that which is the focus of the list. For instance, in the ur list, the word church is not included because the ch match has not yet been introduced
homophone
A word that is pronounced in the same way as another word (or words), but has a different meaning e.g. bare/bear: The bare branch could not bear him
junction
In spelling, the point in a word at which an affix attaches to the stem. E.g. jump/ing; danc/ed ir/relevant
Key Stages
A description used by the UK National Curriculum for blocks of years within a pupil's overall schooling. Key Stage 1 covers pupils aged 5-7, which are Years 1 and 2 in primary school; Key Stage 2 covers years 7-11, Years 3-6 in primary school; Key Stage 3 is the years aged 11-14, Years 7-9 in secondary school; Key Stage 4 covers the ages 14-16, Years 10 and 11 in secondary school
kinaesthetic
To do with being aware of one's muscular movements
LCWC
Initial letters standing for Look-Cover-Write-Check, the basic routine for learning spellings via visual memorisation
LSTCWC
Initial letters standing for Look-Say-Trace-Write-Cover-Check, an expanded LCWC routine for learning spellings via visual memorisation
language study
The study of wider factors affecting a word's spelling, including word origins and derivations, and how syntax affects spelling e.g. hop → hopping
legibility
The quality of being easily read
letter names
The names of letters as named in the alphabet
letter pattern colour
In StarSpell, the letter-pattern being practised can be emphasised in a different colour from the rest of the word
letter-sound match
The correspondence, or match, between a speech sound and the letter, or letters, that represent it in writing. Also known as a grapheme-phoneme correspondence
letter sounds
Names given to letters according to the sounds they represent e.g. b named as 'buh', c named as 'cuh', s named as 'sss', r as 'rrr' etc. The vowels are named according to their short sounds, a as in at, etc. This use of letter sounds for letter names has limited value, because so very many letters represent more than one sound. (see multiple mapping)
Letters & Sounds
The six-phase teaching programme: Principles and practice of high quality phonics (2007), developed by the UK DfES, or Department for Education and Skills (now the DfE Department for Education), as part of the UK National Primary Literacy Strategy
Listen & Build
The phonic approach to spelling
Literacy Hour
Name for the required part of the primary school day in the UK when introduced in 1998 as part of the National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching; it covered reading and writing, word and sentence study, and initially was structured into four specified sections. The 2006 Renewed Framework for Teaching allowed for greater flexibility in the structure of the Hour
long vowel
Any vowel sound other than the five short vowel sounds. (The short vowel sounds are a as in at, e as in egg, i as in in, o as in off, u as in up)
Look & Learn
An approach to spelling in which the look of a word is studied carefully, and visually memorised ("Take a photo in your mind"); also known as the visual memorisation approach; see also VAK
mnemonic
In spelling, a memory tag, or a piece of word play, that helps to memorise a spelling e.g. I AM in ParlIAMent
morpheme
A morpheme is the smallest unit of meaning in the language. It can be as small as one letter: e.g. s as a plural, or a as a negative (atypical) A morpheme can be a complete word, e.g. cat. Morphemes can comprise more than one syllable e.g. basket, since it is a single unit of meaning. One morpheme will be the base word, or stem , to which other morphemes are added e.g. cat + ty=catty, basket + s=baskets
morphemic understanding
Understanding what morphemes are and the effect morphemes have on word-meanings and spellings
morphological knowledge
Knowledge of the structure of words in general, including knowledge of syllables and morphemes: it goes wider than morphemic understanding
motor
In learning to spell, to do with the hand movements involved in writing, and using a keyboard; see also visuo-motor memorisation
multiple mapping
A term for the way in which some graphemes can stand for more than one phoneme (e.g. a in cat, acorn, was); and some phonemes can be represented by several different graphemes (e.g. lord, laud, caught)
multi-sensory
In learning to spell, describing activities that use several of our five senses
new letter colour
When StarSpell reconstructs a misspelled word, any replacement letters can be emphasised in a different colour
normal letter colour
In StarSpell, the colour of the letters in a word to be spelled
onomatopoeia
Use of speech sounds in words to imitate the actual sound to which the word refers e.g. the buzz of bees
onset
The initial consonant or consonants of a word e.g. t-ip, tr-ip; an onset comes before a rime
Onset & Rime
An approach to help learners develop phonological awareness through activities that focus on the onset and rime of words; StarSpell uses the term Tops & Tails for the same approach
open syllable
An open syllable has a consonant before the vowel, only, and this vowel will be a long vowel e.g. ('la-bel'). Another type of open syllable is that which occurs when a word begins with a vowel; these opening syllables actually comprise the vowel, pure and simple e.g. ('a-corn')
phoneme
A single separate sound in a spoken word
phonemic awareness
Understanding what a phoneme is; being able to distinguish phonemes in hearing a word. See also phonological awareness
phonic
The adjective that describes phonics
phonic readiness
The stage of being ready for phonics, having acquired phonological awareness
phonic skills
The abilities involved in using knowledge of grapheme-phoneme correspondences in reading and spelling
phonics
An approach to reading and spelling that focuses on the grapheme-phoneme correspondences (also known as letter-sound matches) from which words are constructed. Phonics involves phonic facts and phonic skills. Also known as Listen & Build
phonic facts
The grapheme-phoneme correspondences
phonic skills
The blending together of phonemes to read words, and the building together of phonemes to spell words; both skills using learned grapheme-phoneme correspondences
phonological awareness
Also known as phonological understanding: the ability to recognise the individual sounds heard in a spoken word, mentally separate them, and mentally shift them around. E.g. recognise that pot is made up of /p/ /o/ /t/ while also understanding that the same sounds in a different order would make top. Phonological awareness does not require any knowledge of graphemes
phonological understanding
Also known as phonological awareness: the ability to recognise the individual sounds heard in a spoken word, mentally separate them, and mentally shift them around. E.g. recognise that pot is made up of /p/ /o/ /t/, while also understanding that the same sounds in a different order would make top. Phonological understanding does not require any knowledge of graphemes
prefix
A morpheme added to the beginning of a base word e.g. un-happy; dis-comfort. Like a suffix, a prefix is an affix
pre-phonics
The stage of learning during which phonological awareness develops; a necessary foundation for learning phonics
proof reading
Reading through a piece of writing to check for factual mistakes, and mistakes in spelling, punctuation and grammar
quadrigraph
A grapheme made up of four letters e.g. augh, ough
re-assembly
The re-creation of a word from its component sounds, following its segmentation (1)
regularities
In spelling, an alternative way to describe rules, recognising that most so-called rules have exceptions
rhyme
Words rhyme when they share the same final vowel sound e.g. play, grey, or when they share the same final vowel and consonant sounds e.g. maid, stayed. A rhyme depends on the sound of words, regardless of spelling
rime
The segment of a word that comes after the onset: e.g. t-ip; tr-ip. It's useful to realise that a rime differs from a rhyme. Wait, bait and grate all rhyme, but only wait and bait share the same rime
root
In spelling, the basic part of a word that retains some of the original word, perhaps from another language, from which it has developed over time, e.g. cred-ible, in-cred-ulous, cred-it, from credere, to believe (Latin)
schwa
A vowel sound, very common in English, which is spoken so quickly, or indistinctly, as to be impossible to recognise. An example is the letter 'a' in the spoken word 'orange'. The schwa sound makes some words very tricky to spell using a purely phonic approach. For such words a Look & Learn approach may prove useful
segmentation (1)
In spelling, distinguishing a word's individual sounds; in the first place it is a listening task, and then includes physically splitting up the written letters of a word (perhaps using plastic letters, for example, or in some way 'chopping up' a written word using pencil strokes, scissors and so on)
segmentation (2)
In relation to syllabification, distinguishing the separate syllables of a word, in speech and in their written forms
short vowel
The short vowel sounds are a as in at, e as in egg, i as in in, o as in off, u as in up
StarGuess
One of two Spelling Games, the other being StarPick. The StarGuess Spelling Game is the more challenging: in essence a hangman-type game for the words in the list. It is, however, open to varied activities. See The StarGuess Spelling Game
StarPick
One of two Spelling Games, the other being StarGuess. Less challenging than StarGuess, The StarPick Spelling Game presents the word's letters in a random scatter on the screen, for putting into place in the correct order to spell the word. See The StarPick Spelling Game
The StarSpell Lists
The StarSpell program that provides activities to support the learning of spelling, with progressively graded lists that also adhere to an incremental principle. Main StarSpell Lists overall provide a balanced approach to learning to spell; its lists and activities variously support the three approaches Listen & Build, Look & Learn and Work within Words
stem
A word to which affixes are attached after which it becomes part of a new word; e.g. unfitness: fit is the stem, un- is a prefix, -ness is a suffix
suffix
A morpheme added to the end of a base word e.g. goodNESS; motherHOOD. Like a prefix, a suffix is an affix.
syllabication/syllabification
Understanding how to divide words up into syllables
syllable
A part of a word that consists of a vowel sound alone, or a vowel sound and the consonants around it; a word will have the same number of syllables as it has vowel sounds e.g. cross = 1 syllable; AcrOss = 2 syllables; AcrOstIc = 3 syllables. Read a fuller explanation
syntax
the study of sentence structure, and the role of each word within any sentence
synthesis
In spelling, the assembly and re-assembly of words from their component sounds. See synthetic phonics
synthetic phonics
An approach to phonics which first teaches letter-sound matches in isolation, as separate building blocks, then focuses on the skill of putting these together to assemble words. Compare analytic phonics
tactile
To do with the sense of touch
Tops & Tails
A way of referring to onset & rime for younger learners, and used in StarSpell
trigraph
A grapheme made up of three letters, e.g. igh, our
VAK
Visual-Auditory-Kinaesthetic An approach to learning the spelling of a word using the senses of sight, hearing and hand-movements (writing/typing). See also Look & Learn
visual
To do with the sense of sight
visual discrimination
In spelling, the ability to distinguish the shapes of letters and the differences in letters within words
visual memorisation
In spelling, committing to memory the string of letters in a word, in their correct order; or an entire word
visuo-motor memorisation
Using both sight and hand-movements (writing/typing) to commit to memory the string of letters in a word, in their correct order; or an entire word
vowel
A speech sound that is made is made with the mouth open; as opposed to a consonant , which is made with some part of the mouth blocked; also, a grapheme that represents a vowel sound. A vowel is either a long vowel or a short vowel
word families
Groups of words related through a common root
Work within Words
An approach to learning spelling which focuses on the structure of words, including morphemes and their effect on spelling, word families, and the origins of words (etymology)
wrong letter colour
In StarSpell, a wrong letter in a spelling changes colour
wrong order colour
In StarSpell after spelling a word, letters which do belong in the word but are in the wrong order will be emphasised in this colour
[*] This sequence matches that developed in the 'Letters & Sounds' publication of the DfE (2007)
[†] That awkward-sounding query, "What is", immediately demands an explanation of its jarring syntax. Surely that should be "What are". Well, no. 'Phonics' is a singular noun (and 'phonic' is the adjective from it,) so it is correct to say "phonics is."
[‡]The sequence of these phonics matches that introduced by the English DfE Letters & Sounds programme (2007)
[§] the Children's Printed Word Database by Masterson, Stuart, Dixon & Lovejoy, (2003.)
[**] Useful sources of information include The English Language, Bill Bryson, (1990), Penguin; The Cambridge Encyclopædia of Language, David Crystal (1991) CUP; The Story of English R McCrum et al, (1992) Faber; Stories of English, David Crystal, (2004) Penguin, Robert Burchfield 'The English Language' [2006] OUP
[††] Inspired by the work of Margaret Peters in 'Spelling: Caught or Taught' [1985] Routledge
[‡‡] Some taken from The Development of Independent Reading, Guppy and Hughes (1999) McGraw Hill, which provides detailed advice on the teaching of phonics.
[§§] Adapted from The Development of Independent Reading, Guppy and Hughes (1999) McGraw Hill
[***] Candidate for Pullet Surprise, Jerrold H Zar, 1994, Journal of Irreproducible Results
[†††]Phonics mirrors the framework of Phases One to Five of the previous English DfE teaching programme Letters & Sounds (2007).
Phase One of the Letters & Sounds programme is supported by StarSpell's Tops & Tails mode.
Phase Six of the Letters & Sounds programme is expanded by the closely detailed guidance of Support for Spelling (DfE 2009). StarSpell provides relevant resources in Yr2 to KS3 Support, and in The StarSpell Lists.
[‡‡‡]These are based The National Primary Strategy: Support for Spelling, DfE, 2009
[§§§] Phonics, Tops & Tails, Spelling, StarPick and StarGuess
[****] Adapted from "Spelling Support in secondary education" Margaret Hughes and Morag Hunter-Carsch, in Dyslexia and Effective Learning in secondary and tertiary education, eds. Hunter-Carsch and Herrington, Whurr, 2001