It's much easier to read a new and unfamiliar word in chunks than to try to sound out all the letters in one long, continuous string. This is because we need to hold onto the sounds in short term memory as we blend the word together. Chunks are easier to hold on to than lots of small bits of information. It's easier and more accurate to spell a long word, if you try to spell it in chunks of Syllables, instead of trying to remember all the letters separately. This useful display poster contains four strategies that you can use to maximise your grades in spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG). The first strategy is, yes, you guessed it! Break the word down into Syllables.

TIP: Your skill in identifying and dividing syllables in words will help you decode words faster in reading tasks because you will be breaking sounds into chunks rather than sounding individual letters. This will make your reading smoother. The attention needed when you break the word down into smaller parts will help you spell more accurately in writing tasks and later in written exams.
