McGuffey's Readers · Eclectic Spelling-Book

McGuffey's Eclectic Spelling-Book, Revised Edition

248 short spelling lessons, from cat and bed to prefixes, sound-alike words and punctuation, for children about 6 to 12. Every lesson has a guide you can follow step by step, with the page of the book beside it.

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How to use it

  • A little each day. One lesson takes 10 to 15 minutes. Most are half a page, so the book can be spread over two or three school years.
  • Say, spell, say. The old way of spelling aloud: say the word, spell each syllable and say it, then say the whole word again. The guides use it throughout.
  • Always write too. Every lesson ends with dictation on a slate or paper. Spelling aloud and spelling on paper are different skills; practice both.
  • Keep a hard-words list. Missed words go on a card. Ask three or four at the start of each lesson until they are right twice in a row.
  • Fit it to the child. Younger children can take half a list at a time. Lessons from about 172 on are harder; some late ones (foreign words, old abbreviations, place names) are marked optional.
  • Don't worry about every mark. The book's pronunciation marks help, but the goal is spelling. Learn the long and short marks first; the rest come in Lessons 36 to 57.

Part 1 Short and long vowels

Short and long sounds of the five vowels in one-syllable words, then the first two-syllable words. Lessons 1–10.

  1. 1Short sounds of a and eLesson 1✓
  2. 2Short sounds of i, o and uLesson 2✓
  3. 3Review of the short vowelsLesson 3✓
  4. 4Long sounds of the vowelsLesson 4✓
  5. 5Short vowels with blendsLesson 5✓
  6. 6Various vowel soundsLesson 6✓
  7. 7Long vowels with blendsLesson 7✓
  8. 8Various sounds of the vowelsLesson 8✓
  9. 9Long vowels in two-syllable wordsLesson 9✓
  10. 10Short vowels in two-syllable wordsLesson 10✓

Part 2 The many sounds of each vowel

Each vowel's other sounds, accent, the first dictation sentences and the first silent letters. Lessons 11–35.

  1. 11Various sounds of aLesson 11✓
  2. 12Various sounds of a in longer wordsLesson 12✓
  3. 13Various sounds of eLesson 13✓
  4. 14Various sounds of iLesson 14✓
  5. 15Various sounds of oLesson 15✓
  6. 16Various sounds of uLesson 16✓
  7. 17Various sounds of the vowelsLesson 17✓
  8. 18Words accented on the last syllableLesson 18✓
  9. 19More words accented on the last syllableLesson 19✓
  10. 20One-syllable words with blendsLesson 20✓
  11. 21Two-syllable words, short vowelsLesson 21✓
  12. 22Rhyming groups of one-syllable wordsLesson 22✓
  13. 23Mixed one-syllable wordsLesson 23✓
  14. 24Words ending in -le (silent e)Lesson 24✓
  15. 25Two-syllable wordsLesson 25✓
  16. 26First dictation exerciseLesson 26✓
  17. 27Sounds of ai, ou, ow and eaLesson 27✓
  18. 28Two-syllable words with short vowelsLesson 28✓
  19. 29Three-syllable words with short vowelsLesson 29✓
  20. 30Miscellaneous soundsLesson 30✓
  21. 31Long i and u, short e and iLesson 31✓
  22. 32Silent letters b and pLesson 32✓
  23. 33Sounds of igh, oa, shr and thrLesson 33✓
  24. 34Long and short a, short eLesson 34✓
  25. 35Short vowels under the accent (longer words)Lesson 35✓

Part 3 The 43 sounds and their marks

The book's tour of every sound in English, one numbered exercise at a time, with the mark that shows it. Lessons 36–58.

  1. 36Sound 1: long a, as in makeLesson 36✓
  2. 37Sounds 2 and 3: short a, as in span; a before r, as in careLesson 37✓
  3. 38Sounds 4 and 5: Italian a, as in arm; the a in staff (before ff, ft, ss, st, sk, sp)Lesson 38✓
  4. 39Sounds 6 and 7: broad a, as in all; short broad a, as in whatLesson 39✓
  5. 40Sounds 8 and 9: long e, as in eve; short e, as in endLesson 40✓
  6. 41Sounds 10 and 11: e as in there (like a in care); e like a, as in preyLesson 41✓
  7. 42Sounds 12 and 13: e before r, as in term; long i, as in iceLesson 42✓
  8. 43Sounds 14 and 15: short i, as in ill; i like long e, as in piqueLesson 43✓
  9. 44Sounds 16 and 17: i before r, as in stir; long o, as in oldLesson 44✓
  10. 45Sounds 18 and 19: short o, as in not; o like short u, as in doveLesson 45✓
  11. 46Sounds 20 and 21: o like long oo, as in do; o like short oo, as in wolfLesson 46✓
  12. 47Sounds 22 and 23: o like broad a, as in form; o before r, as in workLesson 47✓
  13. 48Sounds 24 and 25: long oo, as in moon; short oo, as in woolLesson 48✓
  14. 49Sounds 26 and 27: long u, as in mute; short u, as in butLesson 49✓
  15. 50Sounds 28 and 29: u after r, as in rude; u like short oo, as in putLesson 50✓
  16. 51Sounds 30 and 31: u before r, as in urge; long y, as in flyLesson 51✓
  17. 52Sounds 32 and 33: short y, as in hymn; oi and oy, as in oil and oysterLesson 52✓
  18. 53Sounds 34 and 35: ow, as in owl; ou, as in outLesson 53✓
  19. 54Sounds 36 and 37: soft c and hard c; n as in linkLesson 54✓
  20. 55Sounds 38 and 39: the two sounds of s (hissing s and s like z); the sounds of ch (child, chorus, chaise)Lesson 55✓
  21. 56Sounds 40 and 41: hard g and soft g; the two sounds of th (thin and this)Lesson 56✓
  22. 57Sounds 42 and 43: the sounds of x (ks, gz, z); q followed by u (kw)Lesson 57✓
  23. 58Words accented on the last syllableLesson 58✓

Part 4 Sound-alikes, accent and dictation

Homophones like pray and prey, which syllable is loud, and dictation sentences that use them. Lessons 59–90.

  1. 59Homophones: words that sound alikeLesson 59✓
  2. 60More homophonesLesson 60✓
  3. 61Words accented on the last syllableLesson 61✓
  4. 62Dictation: sound-alike wordsLesson 62✓
  5. 63Words accented on the first syllableLesson 63✓
  6. 64Two-syllable words with long vowelsLesson 64✓
  7. 65Tricky one-syllable spellingsLesson 65✓
  8. 66Three-syllable words, middle accentLesson 66✓
  9. 67More homophonesLesson 67✓
  10. 68More homophonesLesson 68✓
  11. 69Words accented on the last syllableLesson 69✓
  12. 70Long e in accented syllablesLesson 70✓
  13. 71Words accented on the next-to-last syllableLesson 71✓
  14. 72Three-syllable words with short vowelsLesson 72✓
  15. 73More homophonesLesson 73✓
  16. 74Silent vowel in the last syllableLesson 74✓
  17. 75Vowel in the last syllable not silentLesson 75✓
  18. 76Two-syllable words with long vowelsLesson 76✓
  19. 77Words ending in ow; words with ei and ieLesson 77✓
  20. 78More homophonesLesson 78✓
  21. 79More homophonesLesson 79✓
  22. 80Mixed two- and three-syllable wordsLesson 80✓
  23. 81Dictation: essay and assay, contemn and condemnLesson 81✓
  24. 82Three-syllable words, first-syllable accentLesson 82✓
  25. 83Three-syllable words with short u and aLesson 83✓
  26. 84More homophonesLesson 84✓
  27. 85More homophonesLesson 85✓
  28. 86Dictation: sign, design, malignLesson 86✓
  29. 87Sounds of o and uLesson 87✓
  30. 88Short sounds of vowelsLesson 88✓
  31. 89More homophonesLesson 89✓
  32. 90Words with prefixes, accent on the rootLesson 90✓

Part 5 Longer words and special spellings

Three-syllable words, -tion and -ture, the sh and zh sounds, and more dictation. Lessons 91–135.

  1. 91More homophonesLesson 91✓
  2. 92Two-syllable wordsLesson 92✓
  3. 93Two-syllable wordsLesson 93✓
  4. 94Dictation: aught and ought, bail and baleLesson 94✓
  5. 95Three-syllable words, first-syllable accentLesson 95✓
  6. 96More homophonesLesson 96✓
  7. 97Three-syllable wordsLesson 97✓
  8. 98Three-syllable wordsLesson 98✓
  9. 99Short and long sounds of the vowelsLesson 99✓
  10. 100More homophonesLesson 100✓
  11. 101Accent on the last syllableLesson 101✓
  12. 102Two-syllable wordsLesson 102✓
  13. 103Mixed wordsLesson 103✓
  14. 104Dictation: accept and exceptLesson 104✓
  15. 105Three-syllable wordsLesson 105✓
  16. 106Words accented on the first syllableLesson 106✓
  17. 107One-syllable words, different soundsLesson 107✓
  18. 108Synthetic exercise: make sentencesLesson 108✓
  19. 109Miscellaneous soundsLesson 109✓
  20. 110Endings tch, dge and silent lettersLesson 110✓
  21. 111More homophonesLesson 111✓
  22. 112Mixed wordsLesson 112✓
  23. 113More homophonesLesson 113✓
  24. 114i sounding like yLesson 114✓
  25. 115Words ending in -erLesson 115✓
  26. 116ng sounding like ng-gLesson 116✓
  27. 117s sounding like sh; words ending in -seLesson 117✓
  28. 118More homophonesLesson 118✓
  29. 119More homophonesLesson 119✓
  30. 120Long words ending in -ateLesson 120✓
  31. 121er, ir and ur soundsLesson 121✓
  32. 122The zh soundLesson 122✓
  33. 123Synthetic and dictation exercisesLesson 123✓
  34. 124Two- and three-syllable wordsLesson 124✓
  35. 125Words nearly alikeLesson 125✓
  36. 126Dictation on words nearly alikeLesson 126✓
  37. 127-ture wordsLesson 127✓
  38. 128More homophonesLesson 128✓
  39. 129x sounding like gzLesson 129✓
  40. 130ti sounding like sh: -tionLesson 130✓
  41. 131More -tion wordsLesson 131✓
  42. 132sci, ti and ci sounding like shLesson 132✓
  43. 133ci, ce and si sounding like shLesson 133✓
  44. 134Dictation: alter and altarLesson 134✓
  45. 135More homophonesLesson 135✓

Part 6 Endings (affixes)

Plurals, -ing and -ed, and endings like -ful, -less, -ness and -able, with the spelling rules for adding them. Lessons 136–155.

  1. 136Affixes: plurals with s and esLesson 136✓
  2. 137Plurals: f to ves, y to iesLesson 137✓
  3. 138Plurals: y after a vowel; irregular pluralsLesson 138✓
  4. 139The ending -ing, doubling the last letterLesson 139✓
  5. 140-ing with silent eLesson 140✓
  6. 141The ending -edLesson 141✓
  7. 142-ed that sounds like tLesson 142✓
  8. 143-ed without doubling; y to iLesson 143✓
  9. 144Endings -ar, -er, -or: one whoLesson 144✓
  10. 145More -er and -or wordsLesson 145✓
  11. 146Comparing: -er, -est, -ly, -yLesson 146✓
  12. 147Endings -ness and -fulLesson 147✓
  13. 148Endings -less and -ageLesson 148✓
  14. 149Endings -al, -an, -ant, -ent, -able, -ibleLesson 149✓
  15. 150Endings -ist, -ee, -ess, -dom, -hood, -ish, -ismLesson 150✓
  16. 151Endings -eer, -ier, -en, -ic, -izeLesson 151✓
  17. 152Endings -ion, -ment, -fy, -ance, -enceLesson 152✓
  18. 153Small endings: -kin, -ling, -let; -some, -ward, -yLesson 153✓
  19. 154More homophonesLesson 154✓
  20. 155More homophonesLesson 155✓

Part 7 Prefixes and compound words

Beginnings like re-, un-, dis- and pre-, what they mean, and words made of two words. Lessons 156–171.

  1. 156Prefixes re- and un-Lesson 156✓
  2. 157Prefix in- and its forms im-, il-, ir-, ig-Lesson 157✓
  3. 158Prefixes dis- and after-Lesson 158✓
  4. 159Prefixes post- and bene-Lesson 159✓
  5. 160Prefixes fore-, pre-, ante-, anti-Lesson 160✓
  6. 161Prefix mis-; up- and under-Lesson 161✓
  7. 162Prefixes out-, over-, counter-, extra-Lesson 162✓
  8. 163Prefixes semi-, hemi-, super-, trans-, inter-Lesson 163✓
  9. 164Prefixes ad- and bi-Lesson 164✓
  10. 165Prefix con- and its formsLesson 165✓
  11. 166Prefixes de-, epi-, ex-, dis-, ob-, per-, circum-Lesson 166✓
  12. 167Prefixes mal-, mono-, pan-, poly-, pro-, uni-, syn-, sub-Lesson 167✓
  13. 168Compound wordsLesson 168✓
  14. 169More compound wordsLesson 169✓
  15. 170More compound wordsLesson 170✓
  16. 171Synthetic and dictation exercisesLesson 171✓

Part 8 Words often said wrong

Look-alike words, vowels often mispronounced, and where the accent belongs. Lessons 172–200.

  1. 172Same spelling, different meaningLesson 172✓
  2. 173More words spelled alikeLesson 173✓
  3. 174Words where a is often said wrongLesson 174✓
  4. 175More words where a is said wrongLesson 175✓
  5. 176Sounds of a often mispronouncedLesson 176✓
  6. 177Sounds of a often mispronouncedLesson 177✓
  7. 178Sounds of e often mispronouncedLesson 178✓
  8. 179More e words often mispronouncedLesson 179✓
  9. 180More e words often mispronouncedLesson 180✓
  10. 181Sounds of i often mispronouncedLesson 181✓
  11. 182More i words often mispronouncedLesson 182✓
  12. 183More i words often mispronouncedLesson 183✓
  13. 184Sounds of o sometimes mispronouncedLesson 184✓
  14. 185More o wordsLesson 185✓
  15. 186Sounds of u sometimes mispronouncedLesson 186✓
  16. 187Words accented on the first syllableLesson 187✓
  17. 188Homophones and look-alikesLesson 188✓
  18. 189More homophonesLesson 189✓
  19. 190More words accented on the first syllableLesson 190✓
  20. 191Words accented on the second syllableLesson 191✓
  21. 192More words accented on the second syllableLesson 192✓
  22. 193Long words accented on the second syllableLesson 193✓
  23. 194Words accented on the third syllableLesson 194✓
  24. 195Words often mispronouncedLesson 195✓
  25. 196More words often mispronouncedLesson 196✓
  26. 197More words often mispronouncedLesson 197✓
  27. 198More words often mispronouncedLesson 198✓
  28. 199More words often mispronouncedLesson 199✓
  29. 200Words to be carefully told apartLesson 200✓

Part 9 Synonyms, near-alikes and hard spellings

Words of nearly the same meaning, pairs to tell apart, silent letters and words that need care in spelling. Lessons 201–229.

  1. 201SynonymsLesson 201✓
  2. 202Homophones with meaningsLesson 202✓
  3. 203Words that should not be said alikeLesson 203✓
  4. 204Words nearly alike in soundLesson 204✓
  5. 205More words nearly alikeLesson 205✓
  6. 206More words nearly alikeLesson 206✓
  7. 207Words nearly alike in soundLesson 207✓
  8. 208Words nearly alike in soundLesson 208✓
  9. 209More words nearly alikeLesson 209✓
  10. 210More words nearly alikeLesson 210✓
  11. 211Words which require care in spellingLesson 211✓
  12. 212Words which require care in spellingLesson 212✓
  13. 213Words which require care in spellingLesson 213✓
  14. 214Words which require care in spellingLesson 214✓
  15. 215Words which require care in spellingLesson 215✓
  16. 216Words which require care in spellingLesson 216✓
  17. 217Words which require care in spellingLesson 217✓
  18. 218Words which require care in spellingLesson 218✓
  19. 219Words which require care in spellingLesson 219✓
  20. 220Words containing silent lettersLesson 220✓
  21. 221Silent lettersLesson 221✓
  22. 222Words liable to be misspelledLesson 222✓
  23. 223Words liable to be misspelledLesson 223✓
  24. 224Words frequently mispronouncedLesson 224✓
  25. 225Words frequently mispronouncedLesson 225✓
  26. 226Words liable to be misspelledLesson 226✓
  27. 227Words liable to be misspelledLesson 227✓
  28. 228Words liable to be misspelledLesson 228✓
  29. 229More words liable to be misspelledLesson 229✓

Part 10 Odd words, names, abbreviations and punctuation

Words not said as spelled, first names, abbreviations, states and places, and the closing page on punctuation and capitals. Lessons 230–248.

  1. 230Words of irregular pronunciationLesson 230✓
  2. 231Words of irregular pronunciation optionalLesson 231✓
  3. 232Words of irregular pronunciation optionalLesson 232✓
  4. 233Words of irregular pronunciationLesson 233✓
  5. 234Words of irregular pronunciation optionalLesson 234✓
  6. 235Words of irregular pronunciation optionalLesson 235✓
  7. 236Names of menLesson 236✓
  8. 237More names of menLesson 237✓
  9. 238Names of womenLesson 238✓
  10. 239More names of womenLesson 239✓
  11. 240Abbreviations optionalLesson 240✓
  12. 241More abbreviations optionalLesson 241✓
  13. 242More abbreviations optionalLesson 242✓
  14. 243More abbreviations optionalLesson 243✓
  15. 244Names of the statesLesson 244✓
  16. 245More names of the statesLesson 245✓
  17. 246Geographical names optionalLesson 246✓
  18. 247More geographical names optionalLesson 247✓
  19. 248Punctuation marks and capital lettersLesson 248✓

The book itself

Guide numbers match the book's own lesson numbers. The guides are written for this site; the book is in the public domain.

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