If you are stumped on how to spell a certain word, it can be effective to sit back and first ponder the definition. When you do this, you may realize that you know how to spell certain fragments of the word. Deconstructing a word into its component parts can make it seem significantly less intimidating, and if you can spell the separate parts of the word, you probably can spell the whole thing.
It is all too common for people to be fully aware that they are spelling something incorrectly, and be too lazy to look up the correct way. However, doing this can have destructive consequences. The more times you misspell a word, the more it becomes engraved in your brain that way. To avoid this possibility, make a point to always look up a word if you are not 100 percent certain how to spell it. Never risk writing a word if you think there is a big chance that you may be wrong.
Strangely enough, mispronunciation can also be a highly effective spelling technique. Try to pronounce the word the way it looks instead of the way it is actually spelled. For instance, the term "pneumonia" begins with a silent "P." Remember the spelling of the word by pronouncing the word -- in your head -- with a "P" sound at the beginning.
One fun technique for spelling involves creating your own sentences. Consider the word "eats." For each letter that makes up the word, make a new word for a sentence. Begin with "E." One sentence that could make remembering the spelling easier is "Enjoying apples tastes good." If you look at the sentence, you will notice that the first letter for every word, all together, spells out "eats." If you memorize the sentence, then you automatically memorize the spelling.
When you learn a new word's spelling, it can be all too easy to forget it and never think about it again. The goal is to imprint it into your brain as soon as possible, and one way to do that is by looking at the word. To do this, write the word out a minimum of five times on a piece of paper or index card. The more you can visualize the spelling of a word, the easier it will be for you to retrieve it from your memory bank.