9 mistakes learners make with word meanings, each one named and explained.
Closest in meaning is a comparison, so check every option before choosing.
Letters that do bridge the join, like MPEA, are offered as the hidden word.
The letters really are there in order, so the run feels like a find.
Question. Find the four letter word across the join in: clean tables
A common answer. EANT, because those letters cross the join
The answer. LEANT
Why. A hidden word has to be a dictionary word, not just any run of letters. LEANT crosses the same join and is real.
Check the letters make a word you know before writing it down.
Puppy is to KENNEL, because puppies live in kennels.
The mind offers the strongest link it has, and kennels are strongly linked to puppies.
Question. Kitten is to Cat as Puppy is to what?
A common answer. Kennel
The answer. Dog
Why. Kitten is the young of a cat, so the answer must be the animal a puppy is the young of. The relation is young to adult, not lives in.
Name the relation in the first pair first, then apply that exact relation.
BIG is picked out of a single word when the answer must bridge two neighbouring words.
A real word jumps off the page wherever it sits, and the joining rule is forgotten in the excitement.
Question. Find the word hidden across two words in: we saw a big oat field
A common answer. BIG, because it is a word in the sentence
The answer. GOAT
Why. GOAT is spelt by the end of big and the start of oat. The hidden word must use letters from both neighbours.
The hidden word must take letters from the end of one word and the start of the next.
HAIR is chosen for brush, paste and ache because HAIRBRUSH works.
The first pairing that works feels like the answer, so the other pairings never get tested.
Question. Which word goes before brush, paste and ache?
A common answer. HAIR, because HAIRBRUSH is a word
The answer. TOOTH
Why. TOOTHBRUSH, TOOTHPASTE and TOOTHACHE are all real. HAIRPASTE and HAIRACHE are not, so HAIR fails the test.
Test the word against every gap before choosing, not just the first.
A word with no connection to the target is given as the closest in meaning.
When none of the options is obviously right, any of them can start to look plausible.
Question. Closest in meaning to rapid
A common answer. heavy
The answer. swift
Why. Heavy is about weight and rapid is about speed.
Name what kind of quality the word describes. Then only options of that kind can compete.
The original word is given back, or a rearrangement that is not a word.
Rearranging letters in your head is genuinely hard and the original keeps reappearing.
Question. Rearrange LISTEN into another word
A common answer. LISTEN
The answer. SILENT
Why. The answer has to use all six letters in a different order.
Write the letters out separately and cross each one off as you use it.
A word meaning the opposite is picked as closest in meaning.
Opposites are strongly linked to a word in memory, so they surface as quickly as synonyms do.
Question. Closest in meaning to rapid
A common answer. calm
The answer. swift
Why. Calm is roughly the opposite of rapid, not a match for it.
Say the two words in one sentence. If one cancels the other, it is an antonym.
Big is to enormous as small is to LITTLE, when TINY matches the jump in strength.
Little sits on the right side of small, so the answer feels close enough.
Question. Big is to Enormous as Small is to what?
A common answer. Little
The answer. Tiny
Why. Enormous is an extreme version of big, so the answer must be an extreme version of small. Little just repeats small; tiny is the extreme.
Match how strong the second word is, not just its direction.
SILVER and BIRD are joined and offered as a compound word.
Both halves are real words, so the join feels as if it must be real too.
Question. Which pair makes a real compound word: BUTTER + FLY or GOLDEN + BEE?
A common answer. GOLDEN + BEE, because both halves are real words
The answer. BUTTER + FLY
Why. A compound word has to be a word people actually use. BUTTERFLY is in the dictionary; GOLDENBEE is not.
Say the joined word out loud and ask: have I ever read or heard this word?
WAJD spots these patterns in your child's answers and names the one behind their wrong answers, instead of just marking them wrong.