Tricky spellings: Years 3 and 4

For grown-ups: this lesson in words

Years 3 to 6 · English

Tricky spellings: Years 3 and 4: I can spell tricky words like gym, young, chorus and weigh, where a sound has an unusual spelling.

1. Here is the word gym. A gym is a room where we exercise.

   Say the sounds slowly: /j/, /i/, /m/.

   The middle sound is the short /i/ sound, but it is spelt with the letter y.

   In a few words, the letter y spells /i/. gym is one of them.

   Picture: Sound tiles g, y and m blend into the word "gym".

2. Your turn: Three words in this sentence spell the /i/ sound with the letter y: Egypt, myth and pyramid. Tap the word that spells /i/ with the letter y and names a very old story.

   Picture: The sentence "In Egypt, Sam read a myth about a pyramid.", with "Egypt", "myth" and "pyramid" underlined.

   Tap the right word.

   Answer

   The answer: myth

   myth. A myth is a very old story. The letter y spells /i/: m, y, t, h.

   Picture: Sound tiles m, y and th blend into the word "myth".

3. Here is the word young. Young means not old.

   Say the sounds slowly: /y/, /u/, /ng/.

   The middle sound is the short /u/ sound, but it is spelt ou.

   In some words, ou spells /u/. young is one of them.

   Picture: Sound tiles y, ou and ng blend into the word "young".

Words to know

myth:

A very old story that people once believed was true.

chorus:

The part of a song that everyone sings together.

vein:

A thin tube that carries blood around your body.

scheme:

A plan.

league:

A group of teams that play matches against each other.

antique:

Something very old and special, like an old clock.