---
title: "Alternative Spellings for Sounds"
description: "Spell words using alternative grapheme choices for known phonemes, learning new spellings for sounds already encountered (e.g., /ɔ:/ as 'a' before ll, /ʌ/ as 'o', words ending -tion), including distin"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/alternative-spellings-for-sounds-mt_p_jxNLdus4
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/alternative-spellings-for-sounds-mt_p_jxNLdus4.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Alternative Spellings for Sounds

Spell words using alternative grapheme choices for known phonemes, learning new spellings for sounds already encountered (e.g., /ɔ:/ as 'a' before ll, /ʌ/ as 'o', words ending -tion), including distinguishing common homophones

Subject: English · Area: Spelling & Word Study · Ages 6 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/alternative-spellings-for-sounds-mt_p_jxNLdus4

## Ready when they can

- Spell 'ball', 'call', 'walk' using alternative grapheme /ɔ:/ as 'a' before ll
- Distinguish homophones in writing: 'there/their/they’re', 'here/hear', 'quite/quiet'
- Spell words ending in -tion correctly: 'station', 'fiction', 'motion'

## Lesson: Same Sound, New Spelling

You already know that one sound can be spelled more than one way. Today you learn new spellings for sounds you already know, so tricky words make more sense.

*(drawing: In 'ball', the letter 'a' before 'll' makes the 'aw' sound, not the short 'a' sound. The same thing happens in 'call' and 'walk'.)*

**Example.** Some words spell the 'uh' sound with the letter 'o' instead of 'u'. Look at 'son', 'come', and 'love'. The letter 'o' says 'uh' in each one, even though it looks like it should say 'oh'.

**Example.** Words like 'station', 'fiction', and 'motion' end with the letters 't-i-o-n'. Those four letters together say 'shun'.

Some words sound exactly the same but are spelled differently because they mean different things. 'There' points to a place, 'their' shows something belongs to someone, and 'they're' means 'they are'. Read the sentence and think about the meaning to pick the right spelling.

**Recap.** Same sound, different spelling: match the letters to the word's meaning, not just its sound.

## Practice

24 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Segmenting words into sounds](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/segmenting-words-into-sounds-mt_BhYJZUsErp)
- [Phonics Vocabulary](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/phonics-vocabulary-mt_EqXlZfB4jp)
- [Single Letter Sounds](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/single-letter-sounds-mt_F978c32kDr)
- [Alternative Spellings for Known Sounds](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/alternative-spellings-for-known-sounds-mt_OgJPbGkrYk)

## Opens up

- [Homophones](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/homophones-mt_37QCuGOxFe)
- [Revising and editing](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/revising-and-editing-mt_I65kFjWwnF)
- [Spelling Word Lists (age 7+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/spelling-word-lists-age-7-mt_O2dS6gvClw)