The word 'because' is often considered 'tricky' as the spelling doesn't align with the typical phonetic rules or patterns found in English. In phonetics, words are spelled in a way that corresponds closely to how they sound when spoken. However, 'because' deviates from this principle. There are different reasons as to why this word might be considered 'tricky' due to different regional pronunciations. Here's a list of possible reasons why:
because
Long Vowel sound for 'e': In because, the letter 'e' doesn't make its expected sound, which would be a short vowel sound like 'e' (as in 'red' or 'bed'). It makes the long vowel sound 'e' (as in 'be' or 'we').
Schwa for 'e': In some accents it makes a different sound, often referred to as a schwa sound, represented as 'uh' (as in "cup"). This sound is quite different from the phonetic 'e' sound, which can be confusing for early learners.
because
Rare GPC (grapheme-phoneme correspondence): In some accents this diagraph is making the sound 'o' (as in shop).
because
Silent Letters: The final "e" in "because" is also silent, which is another non-phonetic aspect. In many words, the final "e" typically influences the preceding vowel sound, but in this case, it doesn't.
Some schools will teach their children that the 'se' work together make the sound 's' or 'z' (as in 'house' or 'cheese').
So what does this mean for your child?
Depending on the age/ability of your child, it is important to discuss with them the parts of the word that make it tricky. For some children, this might be enough to help them spell the word correctly in the future. However, from my teaching experience, children need to internalize this word before they can mentally tackle these complex spelling rules. In this case, various methods can be employed to support your little one in being successful. These methods include mnemonics and Word Work activities.