How To Improve Your Spelling

Here are three simple pieces of advice to help you keep on getting better at spelling.

1. Use a dictionary

It sounds obvious, but lots of people rely on their ears, or their Spellcheck, or their friends to help them with spelling, instead of using the right tool, which is a dictionary. There are lots of good, cheap dictionaries about. For instance:
The Oxford Quick Reference Dictionary,
The Little Oxford Dictionary - a small hardback,
The Collins Gem or the Chambers Super-Mini - either of these will fit in a pocket or a file.

2. Proofread

To be more accurate, get someone else to proofread your work for you (you can do the same for them). Proofreading is a good way of picking up mistakes in spelling, and everything else as well. Don't rely on proofreading your work yourself, especially if you try to proofread it on the computer screen. Very few people can proofread well on screen: even professional writers print the stuff off and proofread it on paper.

3. Don't give up

It's easy to get discouraged and think that you 'can't spell' and that's an end of it. As I said at the beginning, nobody gets it right first time, and everybody needs to work at it. Don't give up - you can improve enough to stop losing marks for bad spelling.