Spelling and Homophones Focus
Spelling and Homophones Focus targets two closely linked problem areas at 11+: applying common spelling rules, doubling a consonant before adding a suffix, i-before-e, silent letters, and correctly choosing between homophones, words that sound identical but are spelled differently and mean different things, such as their/there/they're or affect/effect. Homophone confusion is one of the most common ways marks are lost in both SPaG questions and pupils' own writing, because the wrong word is often still a real, correctly-spelled word.
Method
- Learn the doubling rule: a short word ending in a single consonant after a single vowel usually doubles that consonant before adding -ing or -ed (stop becomes stopping, not stoping).
- Learn the i-before-e rule and its main exception: i before e except after c, when the sound is 'ee' (believe, receive), but note common exceptions such as weird and seize.
- Build a fixed list of the homophones most often confused at 11+: their/there/they're, its/it's, your/you're, to/too/two, affect/effect, whose/who's, where/wear/we're, and practise a memory trick for each.
- For 'their/there/they're', check which meaning is needed: their shows possession, there shows place, they're is short for they are.
- For 'affect/effect', remember affect is usually a verb (to affect something) and effect is usually a noun (an effect on something), then check the sentence uses the right word class.
- When proofreading your own writing, read it back specifically checking each homophone-prone word, since these errors are invisible on a normal read-through (the sentence still 'sounds' right).
- If unsure between two homophones, try substituting the full meaning into the sentence (their = belonging to them) to test which one actually makes sense.
Worked example
Choose the correct homophones to complete: 'The students left ___ books on ___ desks before going ___ lunch.' (there/their/they're, and to/too/two)
- First gap: the books belong to the students, so the possessive form is needed: 'their'.
- Second gap: this also refers to belonging to the students (their desks), so again 'their' is needed.
- Third gap: this refers to direction/movement towards lunch, so the preposition 'to' is needed, not 'too' (also) or 'two' (the number).
- Check each choice fits by substituting the full meaning: 'The students left (belonging to them) books on (belonging to them) desks before going (towards) lunch' makes complete sense.
- Final answer: 'The students left their books on their desks before going to lunch.'
Practice questions
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Q1Choose the correct spelling: 'She was hopping / hoping to win the race.' (wishing to win)Show answer
Answer: hoping (hopping means jumping on one foot; hoping means wishing)
Q2Complete with the correct homophone: 'I can't believe ___ going on holiday tomorrow!' (they are)Show answer
Answer: they're
Q3Which spelling is correct: recieve or receive?Show answer
Answer: receive (i before e except after c)
Q4Complete with the correct homophone: '___ bag is this on the table?' (belonging to whom)Show answer
Answer: Whose
Q5Add the correct suffix, applying the doubling rule: 'run' + '-ing' = ?Show answer
Answer: running (the final consonant is doubled because 'run' ends in a single consonant after a single vowel)
Q6Complete with the correct word: 'The medicine had a strong ___ on his energy levels.' (affect/effect)Show answer
Answer: effect (a noun is needed here, meaning a result)
Q7Complete with the correct homophone: 'Please put your coat over ___.' (in that place)Show answer
Answer: there
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Identify and correct the three homophone or spelling errors in this passage: 'Its been a long week, and the whether has not helped. The team travelled too far too compete, and by Friday moral was low.' (6 marks)
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Explain why homophone errors are considered especially easy to miss when proofreading, and describe one specific strategy a pupil can use to catch them. (3 marks)
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the spelling and homophones focus worksheet pack - 12 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 9 of 11+ English Workbook 3, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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