13/10/2026
Comment CHEAT SHEET and I’ll send you my FREE spelling patterns cheat sheet to help your child know which spelling to choose 👇📚
Your child can hear the sound… but how are they supposed to know whether to write ow or ou? 🤯
In Year 1, children begin learning that the sounds they already know can be spelled in different ways. This is where spelling patterns can really help.
For the /ow/ sound, a useful pattern is:
✨ ou is usually found in the middle of a word
house • cloud • shout
✨ ow is usually found at the end of a word
cow • how • now
It’s not a rule that works 100% of the time because English loves an exception! 😅 But it gives children a really helpful starting point when deciding which spelling to use.
There are LOTS of little patterns like this that can make spelling feel much less like guesswork.
Save this one for later ❤️ and comment CHEAT SHEET to get the full guide.