Etymological knowledge refers to knowledge about history and origins of words and how this relates to their meaning and spelling. Over time English has been influenced by other languages (particularly Latin, French or Greek) and many words in modern English come from or have their roots in other languages. For instance, the Greek word, ‘bio’ (life) is the root or stem of the family of English words such as biography, biology, biosphere.

Knowing about the origin of these words provides a useful support for spelling them (Ott, 2007). It can help to elucidate the spelling of words that might otherwise seem obscure or challenging (Henry, 2003).

Fellowes. J & Oakley. G , 2016 A Closer Look at Spelling in the Primary Classroom 14