SpellChirp

Week 11 of 36 · 10 words · ages 17–18

12th Grade spelling words, week 11: ps and pt: silent or sounded p

At the start of a word ps and pt drop the p sound, as in pseudoscience, pterosaur and ptarmigan; inside a word, as in eclipse and triceps, the p is said.
psychosomatic
Of physical illness caused by stress or worry.
psychoanalysis
A method of treating the mind by exploring hidden feelings.
pseudoscience
Beliefs or methods passed off as proven research but lacking real evidence.
pseudopod
A temporary bulge a cell uses to move or feed.
pterosaur
A winged reptile of the dinosaur age.
ptarmigan
A grouse-like bird whose feathers turn white in winter.
synopsis
A short summary of a longer work.
ellipsis
Three dots showing that words have been left out.
eclipse
The blocking of light from one heavenly body by another.
triceps
The muscle at the back of the upper arm.

Ten minutes a day this week

Short and daily beats long and once. A word met on five separate days is remembered; a word met five times on Thursday night mostly is not.

  1. Monday

    Read the list together. Say each word, clap its syllables and find the pattern in it.

  2. Tuesday

    Look, say, cover, write, check — each word once from memory, then check the letters.

  3. Wednesday

    Use every word in a sentence, out loud or on paper, so each one means something.

  4. Thursday

    Practice test: a grown-up reads each word aloud. Circle the misses for tomorrow.

  5. Friday

    The test. One try per word, no letters given. The circled words go first.

Practise these 10 words, free

One tap puts this week’s list in SpellChirp. It reads each word aloud, checks the spelling, brings back the ones that went wrong, and can write them into a story your child stars in. No account needed to start, and no advertising.

Add week 11’s words