How to spell separate
A Year 3 and 4 statutory spelling word, with the tricky part explained and a tip that makes it stick.
The answer
separate
S-E-P-A-R-A-T-E
The part to watch: an a, not an e, after the p. The underlined letters are the ones most people get wrong.
The tricky part
The vowel after the p is an a, but it sounds like "uh", so people write "seperate". It is a word that people often misspell.
Separate is one of the words on the Year 3 and 4 list with a letter you hardly hear. When we speak quickly, a letter or a whole beat gets swallowed. Say the word slowly, the way it is spelt, so every letter has a sound.
Common mistakes with separate
- Wrong: seperateRight: separate
- Wrong: seprateRight: separate
A way to remember it
There is "a rat" in separate: sep + a + rat + e.
Separate in syllables
sep · a · rate
Separate has 3 syllables. Say each one as you write it.
In a sentence
Keep the paints in separate pots.
Separate on the statutory list
Separate is on the Year 3 and 4 statutory word list in the national curriculum for England. Children are taught these words in Years 3 and 4, when they are 7 to 9.
Test yourself
A short spelling test that starts with separate, then nine more words from the Year 3 and 4 list, read aloud. It works in your browser.
More words with a letter you hardly hear
These words from the Year 3 and 4 list share the same pattern as separate.
More words
Questions parents ask
Do separately and separation keep the a?
Yes. Separately, separated and separation all keep the a after the p, as in separate.
Spelling is one part of the picture
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