Grade by Grade
B. Foundations of Language · Printing, Spelling and Sentences

Spelling Tricky Heart Words

B2.2 B2.1About 30 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can find the regular part and the tricky (heart) part of a word.
  • I can spell common heart words like said, was, they, because and friend.
  • I can check heart words in my writing.

Words to know

heart word
A word with a part that doesn't follow the usual sound-letter rules. We learn that part "by heart".
high-frequency word
A word we read and write very often, like the, was and said.
tricky part
The letters in a word that don't spell the sound you expect.

Some words play tricks!

Say the word said. You hear /s/ /e/ /d/. If you spelled it sound by sound, you might write sed. But the real spelling is s-ai-d!

The ai in said doesn't say long a like it does in rain. That part is tricky. We have to learn it by heart. That's why we call these words heart words. ❤️

Most of a heart word is regular

Here's good news: most heart words are only tricky in one small part. The rest follows the rules you know.

  • said: s and d are regular. The heart part is ai.
  • was: w and s are regular (s can say /z/). The heart part is a (it says /u/ or /o/).
  • friend: f, r, n, d are regular. The heart part is ie (it says /e/).
saidsaid: the heart part is ai
Tap the sounds. Put a heart on the tricky part.
Worked example

Let's learn "they"

Learn to spell they.

  1. Say it and tap the sounds: /th/ /ā/. Two sounds.
  2. /th/ is spelled th, as you'd expect. That part is regular.
  3. The long a sound is spelled ey. That's the heart part. (It's one of the new Grade 2 spellings, too!)
  4. Say the letters while you write: t-h-e-y.
  5. Cover it and write it again from memory. Check it.

they

Worked example

Let's learn "because"

Learn to spell because.

  1. Clap it: be · cause. Two syllables.
  2. be is regular: /b/ /ē/.
  3. cause is the tricky part: the /z/ sound is spelled s and there is an e at the end, and the vowel is spelled au.
  4. A memory trick: Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants. The first letters spell b-e-c-a-u-s-e!
  5. Write it three times, saying the letters.

because

Just for fun

Make your own silly memory trick, like the one for because! For said: Sally Ate Ice cream Daily. 🍦 The first letters spell s-a-i-d.

Heart wordTricky partRegular part
saidai (says /e/)s, d
wasa (says /u/)w, s
ofo (says /u/) and f (says /v/)none: learn the whole word
theyey (says /ā/)th
whata (says /u/)wh, t
friendie (says /e/)f, r, n, d
could, would, shouldoul (says /oo/)c, w, sh, d
peopleeo (says /ē/), lep, p
againai (says /e/)a, g, n
doesoe (says /u/)d, s
Common Grade 2 heart words

A way to learn heart words

Look, say, cover, write, check:

  1. Look at the word. Find the heart part.
  2. Say the letters out loud.
  3. Cover the word.
  4. Write it from memory.
  5. Check it. Fix any mistakes and try again.
1. Lookfind the heart part2. Saythe letters aloud3. Coverhide the word4. Writefrom memory5. Checkfix and try againsaid
Go around the circle with a heart word like said: look, say, cover, write, check. If it isn't right yet, go around again!

Word families make it easier

could, would and should are a family! Learn one and you know them all: c-ould, w-ould, sh-ould.

Hands-on activity

Heart word hunt and rainbow writing

You need: a favourite book, crayons or markers, paper.

  1. Choose 5 heart words from the table: for example said, was, they, friend, because.
  2. Hunt for them in your book. Make a tally mark each time you find one. Which word did you find the most?
  3. Rainbow write each word: write it in one colour, then trace over it in 2 more colours, saying each letter.
  4. Draw a little heart above the tricky part.
  5. Write one sentence that uses two of your words. Example: My friend said hi.

Your turn

1

What is the heart (tricky) part of said?

2

Spell was.

3

Spell they.

4

Spell of.

5

Which is right: frend or friend?

6

Spell could. Then spell would.

7

Write a sentence with said.

More practice: warm-up

1

Spell the.

2

Spell was.

3

Spell said.

4

Spell what.

5

Which is right: uv or of?

More practice: on your own

1

Spell should.

2

Spell because.

3

Spell people.

4

Fix this sentence: My frend sed hi.

5

Spell again.

Challenge

1

Write a sentence using they, because and friend.

2

Why can't you spell said just by tapping the sounds?

3

Spell does, then use it in a question.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is the right spelling?

2.

Which is the right spelling?

3.

In of, what sound does the f make?

4.

Which words are in the same family?

5.

Which is the right spelling?

6.

What is the best way to learn a heart word?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Some high-frequency words have irregular parts. Grade 2 students learn them by noticing the regular sound-letter parts (B2.1) and focusing their memory on the one irregular part (B2.2). This "heart word" approach works better than memorizing long word lists.

How to help at home:

  • Teach 3 to 5 heart words a week, not a long list.
  • Always tap the sounds first and point out which letters are regular. Then mark the tricky part with a heart.
  • Use look, say, cover, write, check for a few minutes a day.
  • Celebrate when your child spells a heart word correctly in their own writing. That's the real goal.

Common difficulties:

  • Phonetic spellings like "sed", "wuz", "frend". These show good sound knowledge. Praise that, then point to the heart part.
  • Letters in the wrong order (thay, siad, freind). Say the letters out loud while writing.
  • Forgetting a word in writing even though it was right on the practice list. That's normal. Keep a personal word list your child can check while writing.