Pronunciation often leads spellers astray. Not only do people who live in different regions pronounce words differently, but speakers also tend to blur letters or syllables. To link spelling and pronunciation, try to pronounce words mentally the way they look, including every letter and syllable (so that, for example, you hear the b at the end of crumb). Doing so will help you “see” words that have letters or syllables you may not pronounce. In the common words shown below with frequently unpronounced letters or syllables, the easily missed letters are underlined and capitalized to make them more visible.

In English words, a, i, and e often sound alike in syllables that are not stressed. Hearing the word definite, for instance, gives us few clues as to whether the vowels in the second and third syllables should be i’s or a’s. In this case, remembering the related word finite helps us know that the i’s are correct. If you are puzzled about how to spell a word with unstressed vowels, try to think of a related word, and then check your dictionary. You can also use memory cues, or mnemonic devices, to master words that tend to trip you up. Here are two memory cues one student made up: