A Special Link between Rhyming Skill and the Use of Orthographic Analogies by Beginning Readers

The existence of a strong correlation between phonological awareness and the development of reading has long been known. More recently, it has been shown that pre-reading rhyming skills are the best predictor of later reading ability that we have. One reason for this relationship may be that children who have put words into rhyming categories before they begin school may be quick to realize that these words also tend to share the same spelling patterns, and may then use such similarities in spelling to make predictions (analogies) about how new written words will sound. The present study tests one aspect of this hypothesis, which is that children who make more analogies in reading are also better at rhyming than children who do not. Evidence consistent with this prediction is presented.