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Many adults have difficulty reading and spelling, though they often hide it. Fortunately, there are resources available if you are determined to improve your literacy.

Learn, Dream, Achieve (LDA) of Minnesota publishes a monthly online newsletter, NetNews, devoted to adult literacy. LDA recommends adults focus their attention on word study. The aim is to learn word patterns and recognize familiar parts of unfamiliar words.

The National Institute for Literacy has online assessment tests that will help you determine your level of word recognition, and figure out what word patterns you don't know yet. When you find a word pattern you aren't familiar with, you can find or create a list of words with that same pattern.

Try to find single syllable words with the same pattern to begin with. Practice writing those words in several different ways. You can cut letters out of a newspaper or write them in sand at the beach. The more ways you find to write your words, the better your brain will remember them.

Try writing a letter or a short story that includes some of your words; this will help you learn to use them for something other than writing a spelling list.

LDA also recommends using the Story by Story resource available on their website. This learning method uses short stories that use lots of words from one particular pattern to help you become more familiar with that particular sound and spelling.

Massengill (2006) also recommends focusing on groups of unfamiliar words. Whenever you are reading, try to keep a journal of words you don't know. Look these up online for pronunciation and meaning later. Break the words down into syllables, and sort them into groups or families if you can. Use a few of these as your spelling words for the next week, and try to use them in your writing whenever possible.

Don't get excited and go too fast, though. If you forget everything you did a week later, you didn't really learn anything. Remember that memorizing the words isn't enough: you really do need to understand how they are put together.

Even small improvements in your reading and spelling ability can give you a big boost in confidence. As you improve, you will become more willing to use new words in your writing and conversations.

See also Spelling Help For Adults and Getting Help With Spelling

REFERENCES

Frank, M, 2007, 'The Importance of Word Study', NetNews, vol 7, 3.

Massengill, D, 2006, 'Mission Accomplished…It's Learnable Now', Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(5), pp 420–431.