Do you know why wizards and witches always do well in English class? Because they are good at ‘Spelling’! And why kittens are always punished? Because they are copycats! Spelling jokes like these are often used among friends or colleagues to lighten the mood. But do you know these can also be used to teach spelling?
Whether in the classroom to make boring lessons a bit more bearable, or at home, funny spelling jokes always come handy if you are trying to teach the kids correct spelling without putting much pressure on them.
In this article, we are going to explore various types of spelling jokes, riddles, wordplays, puns, and brain teasers that are often used by teachers and parents to teach spelling.
What Are Spelling Jokes?
Spelling jokes or wordplays are fun literary devices where someone utilizes the word, its definition, spelling, sound etc. for the sake of amusement. Consider the examples above- magic spells and word spelling are completely different things yet can be connected because of the word ‘spell’ having multiple meanings.
These puns often represent the verbal wit and cleverness of the person making the jokes. Authors often use these devices and other literary techniques in their works to keep the readers glued to the book. The readers find these puns and riddles challenging their intellect and pays more attention to the details. Teachers use them in class for the same reason.
How Does Spelling Jokes Help with Spelling?
Spelling jokes can do magic to your ‘spelling skill’ (pun intended). They add humor to the learning process and keep the students hooked to learning. It doesn’t only teach correct spelling; it motivates students to become active learners and understand the word properly. To make a successful riddle or pun, a student needs to reflect on word parts, word sounds, meaning, roots, relativity etc. that uses different types of memory and ensures successful memorization of the word.
Spelling jokes are comparatively more beneficial for dyslexic students rather than the traditional memorizing word list. The riddles require the listener to imagine different scenarios and then connect them via words. For example,
Why is dark spelled with K not C? Because you can’t see in the darkness!
For a student struggling with the use of K and C, this reason is tremendously helpful. They don’t need to memorize the spelling, just use their common sense. Just like this, spelling jokes develop their logical senses along with their spelling skills.
Also, you can teach different alternate spellings of words that are common in different countries.
Spelling Jokes in The Classroom
Using spelling jokes in the classroom doesn’t need to be always planned. Whenever you feel that your students are getting bored and distracted, just use one or two jokes, and see how they are immediately charged up. You can find plenty of spelling jokes on the internet but be aware that many websites contain spelling jokes for adults that better stay away from the classroom. Think about using this joke in a class full of 5 years old kids:
“Those who frequently post on social media can best understand the importance of correct spelling. You just mix up two letters and suddenly your whole post is ruined!”
Or
“If you think no one cares about what you do, post something with spelling mistakes on it”
You can still learn a few to use in your next hangout with friends though.
One big advantage of spelling jokes riddles is that they can not only be used to teach spelling but to evaluate a student’s spelling skill. Consider the example below:
How do you turn a beagle into a bird?
Answer: Remove the B.
This joke can be taught to the student who is struggling with spelling the word, or you can ask a student to see if they found out the hidden eagle in the word.
Read More: Mnemonics for Spelling High Frequency Words
List of Spelling Jokes
Here are some spelling jokes you can use in the classroom:
- What begins with T ends with T and has T in it?
A: Teapot - What is at the end of the world?
A: Letter D - What is at the end of the rainbow?
A: Letter W - Which word uses all the vowels in the English alphabet?
A: Unquestionably - Which is the longest word in English?
A: Smiles (because it has a ‘mile’ between the first and the last letter) - Which word becomes shorter if you add extra letters at the end?
A: Short - Which English word has 3 consecutive double words?
A: Bookkeeper - Where can you locate an eye?
A: between H and J - How do you make seven even?
A: Remove the S - Can you spell jealousy with just two letters?
A: NV (Envy- indicate the positions of those letters in the word) - Can you spell composition with two letters?
A: SA (Essay) - How do you spell opponent with three letters?
A: NME (Enemy) - How do you spell cold with two words?
A: IC (Icy) - How do you spell a mousetrap?
A: C-A-T - Which cheese is made backwards?
A: Edam - What is the color of the wind?
A: Blew
Read More: Find the link to Grade Spelling Words and Spelling Bee Words in grade 10-12 now!
Spelling Jokes Using Homophones
Spelling jokes using homophones are immensely useful to understand the meaning of the word so make sure to include them in your lesson. Below are some examples:
- Which instrument do we all have inside our body?
A: Organs - Which vegetable should you eat to become a good musician?
A: The beet - What did the bee say to another bee?
A: Just Bee yourself - What fruit grows on the power line?
A: Currants - Which fruit is the favorite of the history professor?
A: Dates - Which one is the most educated animal?
A: Fish, because it travels in schools (This joke is helpful for improving vocabulary, especially for ESL learners) - Which letter in the English alphabet has the most water?
A: Letter C - Which two words, when put together, has the most letters?
A: Post office
The best way to make use of spelling jokes is to encourage the students to make their own jokes. Make puns in the classroom and ask them if they can make a similar spelling joke with a similar word or any of the words you are teaching that day. Tell them to look at the prefix, suffix, spelling etc. carefully. When they successfully make one, don’t forget to praise them for their effort.
Students might dig into more complex words to show off their skills. I have no objection against it, but to get the true essence of these wordplays, you should teach them how to use familiar words cleverly. Sight words are often a great source of spelling jokes as they have frequent usage, therefore can be used in different ways. You use the SpellQuiz Printable Sight Word Lists that are divided into grades and are available for adults too.
Spelling Jokes and Pranks
These types of brain teasers are more suitable for advanced level students. Check the examples below:
- What are Santa’s elves called?
A: Subordinate clause (Grammar jokes come in handy too) - The past, present and future went to a bar. It was pretty tense.
- What ten letter word starts with g-a-s?
A: Automobile - A: Name two pronouns.
B: Who, me? - A: Are you smart?
B: Yes, I am
A: Then spell it.
B: S-M-A-R-T
A: No, I said spell ‘it’
With this prank, they will memorize both ‘smart’ and ‘it’. - Ask your students which of the following is correct- ‘Egg yolks IS white’ or ‘Egg yolks ARE white’. Chances are they will argue over ‘is’ and ‘are’ forgetting the main part- it is never white!
- Name three consecutive days but you cannot name any of the seven days of the week.
A: Yesterday, today, tomorrow. - What word is always spelled wrong?
A: Wrong (W-R-O-N-G)
Searching for words in another word is a clever strategy to master spelling effortlessly. And there are lots of spelling pranks utilizing it. You can use these pranks to teach your students about spelling and pronunciation.
Here are some spelling pranks for you to get started:
- How do you spell yes? Then how do you pronounce E-Y-E-S?
- How do you spell dying? Then how do you pronounce S-T-U-D-Y-I-N-G?
- How do you spell laughter? Then how do you pronounce S-L-A-U-G-H-T-E-R?
- How do you spell ice? How do you spell just? Then how do you pronounce J-U-S-T-I-C-E?
Below are some words you can use to make these riddles. You can also use compound words.
Other- Bother, Brother, Another
Mage- Image
Rush- Brush, Crush
Raft- Craft
Over- Lover
Final Thoughts
Remembering spelling in such a funny way guarantees that the words are permanently memorized. Just remember the puns while taking a spelling test. You can check how efficient these spelling jokes are for you by taking the SpellQuiz Spelling Test online.
Find the test suitable for your grade and hear the sentence carefully. There are also vocabulary tests and other quizzes to evaluate different areas of your language skill.
You can also join the SpellQuiz Spelling Bee Online Competition where you will be competing against students around the world. There are also scoreboards and badges for daily, weekly, and monthly top spellers and top spellers of all time. Join today to show off your skill.
Lastly,
I am cracked, I can be made
I am told but I can be played
What am I?
A joke!
Happy spelling!