Can 't anyone spell these days?

It's reliance on spellcheck software: I was a qualified proof-reader for a firm of solicitors but computer spell-checking soon made me redundant - well, I wanted paying y'see!

Software can do spelling, grammar, punctuation BUT for some reason it cannot do context.

I don’t think they actually teach it anymore. Certainly not the way we were taught. Same applies to the times tables. I have to admit that I do tend to think people are uneducated if they make a lot of spelling mistakes but then I always was an intellectual snob.

I do wonder why this happens. It's as though people hear the words but don't see them written down. Don't children write essays any more, or is this laxity a reflection of poor teaching?

Primary schools do teach spelling, with endless attention to the different ways a sound can be made e.g. ay, ai, a, a_e (what we used to call magic e) eigh, aigh, ey, and the words that contain them.
They are taught to see, hear and spell words using simpler sounds e.g. trying to avoid the cuh-a-tuh when spelling cat.

In 2007 the government introduced
Letters and Sounds, a six-phase teaching programme designed to help practitioners and teachers teach children how the alphabet works for reading and spelling

From 2013, all LEA primary schools in England had a statutory requirement to teach synthetic phonics in years one and two continuing with more complex words and spellings as they move through the school.

They have spelling homework and spelling tests like we used to do, though I don’t recall my parents going into school and complaining that “Molly doesn’t have time to learn these words” or berating the teacher because “Molly only got 7 out of 10”

No matter how well spelling is taught,
I think it’s partly to do with what
mum2ofthree says when she wrote that they
don't see them written down
Reading is the best way to support spelling memory, whether it’s comics, magazines, books/kindles etc.
Children can be good spellers without reading a lot, but reading expands your vocabulary and helps you to remember e.g. where there, they’re and their are correctly used.

There’s a multitude of reasons for poor spelling and it isn’t a new phenomenon. I’ve seen spelling mistakes all my working life.

It isn’t just young people either, there are plenty of repeat spelling mistakes on Gransnet too.

If I repeatedly made a mistake I personally would want to be corrected, although it isn’t the done thing generally.

Mollygo, so much to agree with in your post.

I was teaching spelling to the Y7 & Y8 'strugglers' in secondary school using phonics/phonetic knowledge as the basis of what I did. Many of them had never been taught that there was any sort of correlation between the letters in words and the sounds they represented (this was from 2000 onwards, before the introduction of mandated phonics instruction, so they's mostly been taught to memorise meaningless letter strings.

They definitely found it something of a revelation to find that the letters they wrote to spell a word had a purpose, but old habits died very hard. Spelling is highly dependent on kinaesthetic memory and if you've been spelling a word wrong for 6 years the old 'memory takes over once you stop concentrating. Kinaesthetic memory works really well with handwritten words but the increased use of computers means that children aren't handwriting as much and the only people who develop kinaesthetic memory when wring with a key board are highly trained touch typists. For children it's mostly 'hunt and peck' so they're back to having to memorise letter strings again😥

I agree that extensive reading is helpful especially when one has learnt to 'decode' words via phonics, because that's what all the brain research points to, skilled readers 'decode' a word in a matter of milliseconds and can immediately pick out a wrongly spelled word because it 'sounds' wrong.

All in all, despite the phonics mandate, I think a great deal militates against children being really secure with their spelling skills.

Of course, the people whose spelling is being criticised on here will be adults who have probably never really been taught the proper basics of spelling. Even the post 2012 L & S educated children will only be in their late teens now.

'wring with a keyboard?'😱

writing of course

No, you don't understand.
It is all about communication; spelling, and grammar do not matter and anyway, machines, as known as computers, will do it for us so we won't have to bother.

This was the sort of attitude that was being peddled in schools in the 1980s; fortunately the National Curriculum arrived and spelling policies were reinvented and applied.

Unfortunately too many people still regard spelling as unimportant, until their job applications are rejected and they learn, with great indignation, that it signals a casual attitude to the employer.

Who doesn't understand eazybee?

What don't they understand?

(Nat Curriculum was rubbish for spelling)

For stalactites and stalagmites my Dad used to say mites grow up and tights hang down.
Sorry, I'm late to the party. Been in hospital.

Deedaa

The thing that really stands out is the poor spelling and grammar in posts from patriots wanting their country back. There, their, they're. To, too, two. The new favourite seems to be are instead of our. Added to this is the complete lack of punctuation and the inability to use upper case correctly. If one comments on it one is reminded that they might be dyslexic - but surely not all of them?

I hope you’ve got over your touch of the vapours when you read a post here where a comma wasn’t used. 😱

Ooooooo; I love seeing proper spelling and proper grammar but I don't know if I always kreep to those standards myself when I post here !!
My OH always asks me how to spell things when he is doing crosswords. I don't like doing the actual crosswords myself.
When I die I'll be a dead peasant and a dead pedant. RIP

Celieanne86

We were taught little reminders at school for spelling dont teachers do that now.
The girls put their costs over there. Two girls were going to the party too. Never eat cake eat salmon sandwiches and remain young.(necessary). Stationary is car. Stationery is paper.
Richard of York gave battle in vain (rainbow) and my favourite My very educated Mother just served us nine pickles 🤭 sounds like a spy exchange I love it and yes I went to a girls school but these mnemonics have come in so useful over the years.

Oh Celieanne

I too, learnt 'never eat cakes eat salmon sandwiches and remain young' for the spelling of necessary.

Not one other person in my adult life had ever heard of it, so thank you.

MiniMoon

For stalactites and stalagmites my Dad used to say mites grow up and tights hang down.
Sorry, I'm late to the party. Been in hospital.

I'd heard that stalagmites grow up with all their might whereas stalactites hang on tight.

Hope you're recovered now, MiniMoon.

Richard of York gave battle in vain (rainbow)
But which colour is on the inside of the rainbow?

Cossy

kittylester

Er, why is this under webchats?

Because we’re on the web and we’re chatting??? 😜😜

I love it!😂😂😂

You start with the outside arch.

I have dyslexia, rubbish at grammar, hopefully come across as readable 😊

ExDancer

You start with the outside arch.

I know that now, it was a question on a quiz programme the other day - how did I not realise, or forgot, for all these years?

One of my 'most irritating' spelling mistakes is "your" and "you're". "You're standing on your high horse".

Well one positive regarding wrong spelling and punctuation it does alert you to a scam!
Hi to all you spelling nerds 😋

Any mistakes are due to my terrible typing, autocorrect and being too hasty to post 🙂

My class favourite was elephants in gloves have trouble
I displayed their artistic representations of that on the wall when it was on the week’s spelling list.

Due to my arthritic fingers struggling to type at times, I’ve started to use the microphone facility. Depending on the device used, punctuation needs adding afterwards. Perhaps some younger folk just send texts as they appear without pausing to check.

Re stalagmites we always said it's about "sitting on an anthill" because the mites go up and your tights come down.

I am well educated, but find as I'm ageing I keep losing words and at times I just can't spell a certain word...very annoying !