The Development of Spelling Skill

This article reviews the literature on spelling development in alphabetic scripts. Once children begin to learn that the function of alphabetic writing is to represent the sounds of language, they go through the process of learning sound-spelling correspondences in increasingly fine detail, from syllables to phonemes. This process is rooted in the development of phonological representations of words. Continued experience with print allows children to learn about more complex orthographic and morphological conventions of the language. Research and practice must take into account the complexities of phonological, orthographic, and morphological knowledge as they relate to spelling development.