English is notorious for having highly complex and unpredictable spelling (e.g. beautiful, gauge, psychiatry). However, in contrast to what most people think, there are some very important and useful rules that will help you create order in the spelling chaos. In addition, if you know specific letter combinations (phonics) which are used repetitively in English spelling, you will be able to better control it within a short time and maybe even improve your pronunciation. After reading about short and long vowel sounds (ee, igh, ow), consonant letter combinations (sh, ph, sc, kn) and syllables (open and closed),and the doubling rule, you might even become yet another phonics fan.
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