Dyslexics struggle most with irregular sight words, long polysyllabic words, words with similar letter patterns (like 'b'/'d', 'was'/'saw'), and words with unpredictable vowel sounds, making words like "their," "said," "Colonel," "Accommodation," "Wednesday," and "stared"/"started" particularly challenging due to silent letters, multiple syllables, or visual confusion.
Commonly Misspelt words
Tricky words in English often involve confusing spellings, silent letters, or subtle meaning differences, with examples including homophones like there/their/they're, spelling challenges like accommodate (double letters) and rhythm (no vowels), and usage confusion such as imply vs. infer, bring vs. take, and sight words like was, are, and the that don't follow phonetic rules. These words can trip up both learners and native speakers due to pronunciation discrepancies or similar forms with distinct meanings.
Understanding and supporting individuals with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, and Dyspraxia is essential for fostering an inclusive and effective learning environment. These disorders can also coincide with other conditions such as ADHD and Autism, requiring a comprehensive approach.
Words such as "to, it, of, what, have, from," etc. (sight words) are trigger words which must be mastered to eliminate the trigger for disorientation.
Common mistakes when reading and spelling are mixing up b's and d's, or similar looking words such as 'was' and 'saw', 'how' and 'who'. Letters and numbers can be written back-to-front or upside down.
Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world didn't let his dyslexia hold him back.
Three dimensional thinking and making connections
Many people with dyslexia demonstrate better skills at manipulating 3D objects in their mind. Many of the world's top architects and fashion designers have dyslexia.
Famous actors like Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom all have dyslexia. Pablo Picasso's teachers described him as “having difficulty differentiating the orientation of letters”.
The BDA Level 7 Diploma in Dyslexia Assessment and Intervention (AMBDA and AMBDA FE/HE) provides training for individuals who already hold ATS/APS (or equivalent) and have a professional interest in assessment for dyslexia.
Ten powerful words often used in marketing and communication to grab attention and drive action include Free, New, Discover, Save, Guarantee, You, Health, Proven, Safety, and Results, while words like Love, Courage, Patience, and Inspire hold deep emotional power, and others like Meraki (doing something with soul) or Ephemeral (short-lived) offer unique descriptive strength, with the best choice depending on context.
The word with 645 meanings is "run," according to the Oxford English Dictionary. This number refers specifically to the verb form, making it the most complex word in English, surpassing the former record-holder, "set". Its vast meanings range from physical movement to operating machines, managing businesses, and extending in a direction, a versatility that grew with societal changes like the Industrial Revolution.
10 of the Hardest Words in English to Pronounce
Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills. It is important to remember that there are positives to thinking differently.
Spanish, Italian and German, on the other hand, are much more transparent languages with clear letter-sound correspondence. This makes reading and spelling easier.
General signs to look for are:
Actress Jennifer Aniston has publicly shared that she was diagnosed with dyslexia in her 20s, a diagnosis that explained lifelong struggles with reading, writing, and retaining information, leading her to believe she wasn't smart until discovering the learning disorder. She discovered this during an eye exam, where she realized her eyes jumped words when reading, and the diagnosis helped her understand past difficulties, transforming her self-perception.
Ryan Gosling has accumulated praise for movies like The Notebook, La La Land, and Barbie. However, behind this fame, his life's story was full of bravery. The Hollywood hunk faced dyslexia and Adhd as a kid. School was difficult, and bullying made it worse.
Some of these successful entrepreneurs, such as Richard Branson and Charles Schwab, credit their success to dyslexia as one of the contributing factors that lead to the development of their innovative thinking and their remarkable success.
Research by the University of Strathclyde has found that people with dyslexia are much better at being curious and exploring new ideas and more likely to be found in careers where this is an advantage, such as art, media, architecture, creativity, engineering and inventing things!
Being dyslexic means that you think and process information on the right side of your brain, instead of the left side, where neurotypical people think.
Creative thinking
Dyslexic individuals often excel in creative fields like art, design and storytelling. Our brains are wired to think visually, making us great at generating unique ideas and seeing connections where others might not.
Albert Einstein was dyslexic. Like many of the world's 7.5 million children with learning disabilities he was thought to be unintelligent by his teachers. Fortunately, his parents placed him in a special school where he was taught in accordance with his disability.
Emma Watson
She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 9 years old and has taken medicine to help with this. Emma has described how this has helped her focus.
Woodrow Wilson, 1856-1924, (learning disability)
28th President of the United States from 1913-1921 who is known to have a (learning disability) (dyslexia).