Tricky Words

Some words cannot be read and spelt using the phonics method.  These are referred to as tricky words or non-phonetic sight words. Tricky words include words such as 'said', 'have' and 'was' which cannot be sounded out. These words are phonetically irregular words. Tricky Words have to be taught and learnt, which requires time and exposure to the words in different contexts. 

 

The Tricky Words identified by the Jolly Phonics scheme are:

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Simple steps to teach your child the Tricky Words:

 

• Introduce the tricky words slowly, perhaps a word each day or two or three per week. 

• Every child will learn at a different rate, so follow your child's learning pace!

• Flashcards can be used to introduce, reinforce and revise tricky words. 

• Model use of the tricky word in a sentence to aid understanding of the word. 

• Ensure your child can read the tricky word you have introduced before progressing to the next word. 

• Display the new tricky word on a word wall to aid memory.  Invest in a resource pack such as the Tricky Word Wall Flowers Set. 

• Support your child to read and spell each of the tricky words.

• Use the 'Look, Cover, Write, Check' method for spelling tricky words. Ask your child to first look at the word and identify which part is tricky, cover the word, write it, and then check the spelling. 

• Make spelling of tricky words appealing for your child by offering sensory mediums for writing such as sand, paint, shaving foam, chalks or glitter. Subsequently, progress to a whiteboard or pen and paper. 

• Work through the sets of tricky words, set by set.

• Revise each set thoroughly before progressing to the subsequent set.

• Take the opportunity to reinforce and emphasis tricky words when sharing picture books with your child.