Look-alike letters
b and d, p and q, m and w, and n and u are mirror images or upside-down versions of each other. Writing one for the other is usually about the letter's shape, not the word's sound, and it is a different problem from a spelling mistake.
Example words
- bed
- dog
- big
- dig
- pig
- quick
- bad
- dab
- map
- went
- nut
- pond
The rules in this pattern
Look-alike letter mix-ups
One letter was swapped for another that looks like it, not one that sounds like it - b and d, p and q, m and w, and n and u are mirror images or upside-down versions of each other.
Practise this pattern
Dictation sentences
Read each one aloud and ask your child to write it down.
- The dog is in bed.
- A big pig dug in the mud.
- Quick, pass me the map.
Quick check
Can they spell these without help?
- bad
- dip
- quiz
- pond
Keep going
- Printable spelling test sheet - for writing the words on paper
- Practise in Spelling.Live - add these words as a list, take a Skills Check, or play games built from them
Teaching this pattern
A short lesson idea with a starter, an activity, dictation sentences and words to check.DRAFT
Teaching guide