Heart Words: measure, heavy, special, certain

Learn common words with one irregular part by finding the part you must learn by heart.

A heart word is a word where most letters follow the rules but one part does not. You learn that part by heart. In 'heavy', the ea says short e, not long e. In 'measure', the ea says short e and the s says /zh/. In 'special', the ci says /sh/. In 'certain', the ai in the second syllable makes a quick, weak 'in' sound, not long a.

Here is how to study one: write 'heavy', underline the part that follows the rules (h, v, y), and draw a heart over the tricky part, ea. Then say the word, spell it aloud, and write it from memory. Read this to practice: 'I am certain this special box is too heavy to measure. '

• 1A heart word has a tricky part that breaks the rules.
• 2Find and mark the tricky part; the rest can be sounded out.
• 3Say, spell aloud, and write the word from memory.