---
title: "Decoding unfamiliar words"
description: "Read Y3-4 exception words with unusual spelling-sound correspondences, applying growing knowledge of morphology and etymology to decode unfamiliar exception words"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/decoding-unfamiliar-words-mt_14OR-MhGJ9
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/decoding-unfamiliar-words-mt_14OR-MhGJ9.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Decoding unfamiliar words

Read Y3-4 exception words with unusual spelling-sound correspondences, applying growing knowledge of morphology and etymology to decode unfamiliar exception words

Subject: English · Area: Phonics & Word Reading · Ages 7 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/decoding-unfamiliar-words-mt_14OR-MhGJ9

## Ready when they can

- Read exception words from the Y3-4 statutory word list accurately (e.g. 'business', 'caught', 'knowledge', 'different')
- Identify unusual letter-sound correspondences in exception words and explain why the word does not follow common GPC rules
- Use growing knowledge of morphology and etymology to attempt unfamiliar exception words (e.g. recognise the root 'know' in 'knowledge')

## Lesson: Cracking Tricky Words

Some words break the usual reading rules. You cannot always sound out every letter and get the right word. These are called exception words. The best way to read them is to spot the tricky part, and remember it, or work out why it is spelled that way.

**Example.** Look at 'knowledge'. It has a silent k at the start, because it comes from the old word 'know'. If you know that 'know' has a silent k, you can guess 'knowledge' does too. 'Business' hides the word 'busy' inside it: busi-ness. That is why business has an i where you might expect a y.

*(drawing: Knowledge starts with the same silent k as 'know'. Spot the little word hiding inside the big one.)*

**Example.** The word 'caught' uses the letters 'augh' to make an 'or' sound, an old spelling pattern you also see in 'daughter' and 'taught'. You cannot sound out each letter here. You just have to remember that 'augh' says 'or'.

When a word looks strange, work through three tries in order. First, look for a smaller word hiding inside it, because the small word often explains the odd spelling. Second, think of similar-looking words you have already read, since a strange pattern in one word usually turns up in a family of them. Third, when neither of those works, learn the tricky part by heart. That last step is not giving up. It is what exception words are for.

**Recap.** Exception words break the rules, so look for a hidden root word, spot spelling patterns you have seen before, and remember the odd bits.

## Practice

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

## Needs first

- [Syllables (age 6+)](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/syllables-age-6-mt_kVzAFMuFc4)
- [Root Words & Inflections](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/root-words-and-inflections-mt_UEe3MC5RZc)
- [Reading High-Frequency Words by Sight](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/reading-high-frequency-words-by-sight-mt_YKkCM63fSC)

## Opens up

- [Vocabulary Strategies](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/vocabulary-strategies-mt_WZnwITSWr8)