--- title: How to learn spellings that stick — how Mova does on the tests · English description: Lesson 15 of the english course of Mova's primary school: 3 of 12 tests right, exam 1 of 4, every question with the options, the student's choice, the right answer and why it chose. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/) / [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/) / 15 # How to learn spellings that stick **Tests:** 3 of 12 right · **Exam:** 1 of 4 right · **Kind:** plain · **Understood:** 10 of 16 · **Run:** 2026-10-18, commit `f3c23ea72` Lesson 15 of the english course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/). Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: [the lesson's questions in the corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/). ### Test 1 · wrong ✗ {#t1} «write it out ten times, that's how we learned». Freddie wrote «becuase» ten times. What's the fix? - **1.** Look, say, cover, write, check, and check it again tomorrow — **✓ the right answer** · score 4 - **2.** Write it in capital letters only — no support - **3.** Write it twenty times instead of ten — **← Mova's choice** · score 5 - **4.** Stop practising and hope it sticks — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 5, against 4 for the next best. Its support: lesson 15, line 1: «Freddie's mum says «just write it out ten times», and Freddie writes «becuase» ten times. He has now practised the mistake ten times. Practice only helps if it…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «write» (+6); the same property (+2). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1); a different doer (counts against) (-2). The right option, 1, scored 4. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t1/) ### Test 2 · right ✓ {#t2} «spellcheck'll sort it, spelling's for boomers lol». What's the problem? - **1.** Boomers invented spellcheck — no support - **2.** Spellcheck is always perfect, so there's no problem — no support - **3.** Spellcheck can pick the wrong word if your try is far off — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 11 - **4.** Phones refuse to spell long words, so you need to know them yourself anyway — score 6 **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 11, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 15, line 9: «A dictionary gives spelling and meaning; spellcheck is quick but may suggest the wrong word, so read the suggestion.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «spellcheck» (+5); it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same thing acted on «wrong word» (+3). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t2/) ### Test 3 · wrong ✗ {#t3} «grab ya toque, eh, spellings in the car». Which game helps? - **1.** Sing loudly with no words — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Count the cars only — no support - **3.** Spell the signs and number plates you pass — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **4.** Close your eyes and sleep — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t3/) ### Test 4 · wrong ✗ {#t4} What would happen if Lucas learned five words a night and reviewed old ones? - **1.** He'd remember more of them for longer — **✓ the right answer** · score 2 - **2.** He'd learn fewer words in total — **← Mova's choice** · score 4 - **3.** Nothing different from cramming — score 2 - **4.** He would forget them all faster, because old words get in the way of new ones — score 3 **Why:** It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 2 with score 4, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 1, line 12: «Hearing the separate sounds in a word, such as the first sound /m/ in «moon», comes before matching sounds to letters; «I spy» with sounds trains it.», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «hear» (+2); the same thing acted on «separate sounds» (+2). The right option, 1, scored 2. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t4/) ### Test 5 · right ✓ {#t5} «spelling tests are a scam, skip 'em, love». What could Kiera think instead? - **1.** Tests are only for teachers' fun, so she can skip them — score 6 - **2.** Tests decide her whole future — no support - **3.** The test is practice that shows what to work on — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 13 - **4.** Her dad is right; tests are useless — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 13, against 6 for the next best. Its support: lesson 15, line 15: «Spelling tests check progress; they are practice, not a judgement of the person.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same doer «tests» (+5); it fills the role the question asks for (+5); the same thing acted on «practice» (+3). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t5/) ### Test 6 · wrong ✗ {#t6} «rainbow colours on every letter, so pretty, I'll remember». What's better? - **1.** Use glitter on every word — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Colour just the tricky bit — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **3.** Use even more colours — no support - **4.** Write in black only — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t6/) ### Test 7 · right ✓ {#t7} «she reads loads, so her spelling should be ace, innit». Why might it not be? - **1.** Reading always makes spelling perfect — score -2 - **2.** Readers skim; she should study a few words closely — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 4 - **3.** Books make spelling worse — score -2 - **4.** She must be reading too fast to understand anything she reads — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask why something happens (its cause). It chose option 2 with score 4, against -2 for the next best. Its support: lesson 15, line 5: «Even keen readers can be weak spellers, because reading skims words without studying every letter; they need to pick a few words and look closely. Spelling sti…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «study» (+2); the same thing acted on «letter» (+2). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t7/) ### Test 8 · wrong ✗ {#t8} A cartoon kid looks up «fone» in the dictionary and gives up. What should he try? - **1.** Give up; it isn't in any dictionary — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** Ask the dictionary to find it for him, because books can hear you — no support - **3.** Another likely start: ph, as in «phone» — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **4.** Look under the letter o — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t8/) ### Test 9 · wrong ✗ {#t9} «mnemonics for every word, proper job!» says Gran. Is that the best plan? - **1.** Only learn words with tricks — **← Mova's choice** · score 4 - **2.** No, tricks never help anyone — no support - **3.** Use tricks for the hardest words and rules for the rest — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **4.** Yes, a trick for every single word in the dictionary, even «cat» — no support **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 14, line 4: «In British English some pairs split by job. Advice and practice (with c) are nouns, things; advise and practise (with s) are verbs, doing words: «Take my advic…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «noun» (+4); the same circumstance (+1). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-1). The right option, 3, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t9/) ### Test 10 · wrong ✗ {#t10} ★★★ Lucas learns 5 new words a night, Monday to Thursday, and on Friday reviews them all. How many words does he review on Friday? - **1.** 5 — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** 20 — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **3.** 25 — no support - **4.** 15 — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t10/) ### Test 11 · wrong ✗ {#t11} ★★★ Which word would you NOT find under its first sound in a dictionary? - **1.** sun (sounds like s, under s) — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** gnome (sounds like n) — **✓ the right answer** · no support - **3.** map (sounds like m, found under m) — no support - **4.** dog (sounds like d, under d) — no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t11/) ### Test 12 · wrong ✗ {#t12} ★★★ Freddie uses look, say, cover, write, check and writes «becuase» from memory. At which step should he catch it, and how? - **1.** Say: saying it aloud fixes the letters by itself — no support - **2.** Look: he looks at his own wrong word again until it looks right to him — **← Mova's choice** · score 4 - **3.** Cover: the hidden word shows him the slip — no support - **4.** Check: compare it letter by letter with the real word — **✓ the right answer** · no support **Why:** It took the question to ask where. It chose option 2 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 15, line 1: «Freddie's mum says «just write it out ten times», and Freddie writes «becuase» ten times. He has now practised the mistake ten times. Practice only helps if it…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «look» (+2); the same circumstance (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/t12/) ### Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e1} Identify the principal deficiency of copying a word repeatedly without verification. - **1.** The hand of the pupil is thereby rendered too fatigued — no support - **2.** No deficiency whatever attends the practice, which is the most efficient method known — no support - **3.** The word is thereby rendered too familiar to be remembered — **← Mova's choice** · score 2 - **4.** An erroneous spelling may thereby be practised and reinforced — **✓ the right answer** · no support **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 2, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 15, line 3: «Use tools wisely. A dictionary gives spelling and meaning; a phone's spellcheck is quick but can offer the wrong word if your try is far off, so read its sugge…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «offer» (+2). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/e1/) ### Exam question 2 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e2} Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning spaced practice. - **1.** Practice is of no benefit whatever to spelling — no support - **2.** Practice is beneficial only when undertaken in silence at a desk, in the absence of any distraction whatsoever, for a period of not less than one hour — no support - **3.** Material crammed into a single evening is retained longest — **← Mova's choice** · score 5 - **4.** Small amounts studied over several days are retained better than amounts crammed into one session — **✓ the right answer** · no support **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 15, line 2: «Memory likes little and often. Five words a night with a quick look back at last week's words beats twenty words crammed into one evening; this is called space…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «cram» (+4); the same property (+2). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/e2/) ### Exam question 3 · formal language · right ✓ {#e3} Ascertain the most prudent use of an automatic spelling checker. - **1.** Its suggestions should be read and verified against the intended word — **← Mova's choice** · **✓ the right answer** · score 8 - **2.** It should be disregarded in all circumstances — no support - **3.** Its suggestions should be accepted without examination — no support - **4.** It should be employed only for words of one syllable, longer words being beyond its competence — score 3 **Why:** It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 8, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 15, line 3: «Use tools wisely. A dictionary gives spelling and meaning; a phone's spellcheck is quick but can offer the wrong word if your try is far off, so read its sugge…», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: the same action «read» (+4); the same thing acted on «suggestion» (+4). · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/e3/) ### Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗ {#e4} Which of the following statements most accurately characterises a mnemonic? - **1.** A test administered at the close of each week — **← Mova's choice** · no support - **2.** A dictionary arranged according to sound rather than spelling, for the use of pupils — no support - **3.** A rule which governs the spelling of every word — no support - **4.** A device to assist the memory, of particular use for exceptionally difficult words — **✓ the right answer** · no support **Why:** No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · [the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/questions/english/15-how-to-learn-spellings-that-stick/e4/) - ← previous: [14. Words to know, Years 5–6 (the statutory list, by…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/14-words-to-know-years-5-6/) - next →: [16. Reading for pleasure and the reading book at home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/16-reading-for-pleasure-and-the-reading-book-at-home/) - ↑ back to [English](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/)