(I) If you are in your 40s and British, it is quite possible that your spelling is an embarrassment, but it's not your fault. (II) Many children in the UK were never taught the distinction between “there,” “their,” and “they're.” (III) Now, the rate of literacy has gone up in Britain and many other countries. (IV) You may have struggled to learn to read using the initial teaching alphabet: a mixture of 40 letters that was supposed to provide a stepping stone to literacy. (V) However, it tripped up many children when they had to switch to the standard 26-letter one.