Chunking Long Words Into Parts You Know

Break multisyllabic words into familiar chunks instead of reading letter by letter.

When a word has many letters, reading it one letter at a time is slow and easy to get wrong. Instead, look for chunks you already know: prefixes, suffixes, small words, and common spelling patterns. Take 'unthinkable'. You may see 'un' at the start, 'think' in the middle, and 'able' at the end. Read each chunk: un-think-able. Now blend them and you have it.

Try 'grasshopper': 'grass' and 'hop' and 'per'. Try 'carpenter': 'car', 'pen', 'ter'. Chunking works because English words are built from pieces that repeat. The more chunks you recognize, the faster long words become. Use your finger or a pencil to cover parts of the word, and reveal one chunk at a time.

• 1Look for known chunks, not single letters.
• 2Prefixes, suffixes, and small words are great chunks.
• 3Reveal one chunk at a time, then blend.