Why Some Children Need Explicit Spelling Instruction - And Why Early Intervention Matters

I work with children who find spelling difficult and, as a dyslexic learner myself, so do I. It’s not because they or I lack effort or ability, but because English is a complex writing system. Some children seem to absorb its patterns naturally through exposure. Others don’t and those learners need the structure made visible.

This is where orthography becomes important.

What Orthography Actually Means

Orthography simply refers to how a language is written.

In English, this includes:

• how letters and letter‑groups represent sounds

• the patterns we see across words

• the meaningful parts inside words

• the historical influences that shape spelling

  
  

Orthographic skills are the abilities children use to make sense of this system. For example:

• noticing that night, light, and bright share a spelling pattern

• understanding that adding ‑ed usually shows something happened in the past

• recognising that help, helpful, and unhelpful all share the same core word

  
  

These skills don’t always develop automatically. Many children - especially dyslexic learners - need them taught explicitly.

Why English Is Harder Than It Looks

English is often described as “messy,” and there’s a good reason for that. It’s a language built from many other languages: Old English, Norse, French, Latin, Greek, and more. Each layer brought its own spelling conventions.

This means English has:

• multiple ways to spell the same sound

• spellings that reflect meaning rather than sound

• patterns that come from different historical periods

• words that keep older spellings even when pronunciation has changed

  
  

None of this is random, but it’s not obvious unless someone teaches it.

Children who pick up patterns implicitly tend to cope well. Children who don’t are left trying to memorise thousands of spellings with no underlying structure. That’s where spelling becomes unnecessarily difficult.

What the Science Says About How Children Learn to Spell

Research shows that the brain uses two main pathways when learning to read and spell.

1. The automatic pattern‑learning pathway

Located mainly in the left temporo‑parietal and occipito‑temporal regions.

This pathway picks up spelling patterns through repeated exposure. Many non‑dyslexic learners use this pathway.

2. The conscious, analytical pathway

Involving more frontal‑lobe activity. This pathway uses logic, structure and explicit instruction. Dyslexic learners often depend on this route because the automatic pathway doesn’t develop as efficiently.

The conscious, analytic pathway requires far more cognitive effort and explicit instruction. Whereas, those using the automatic system appear to “just get it.”

Why Early Explicit Teaching Makes a Difference

When children who struggle with implicit pattern learning are given explicit, structured teaching in:

• common spelling patterns

• how words are built

• how endings change

• how related words share spellings

• why certain spellings exist

  
  

…they gain access to the same system that other children absorb naturally.

Early intervention:

• reduces frustration

• prevents children feeling “behind”

• builds confidence

• reduces the amount they need to memorise

• gives them tools they can use independently

• makes English feel logical rather than chaotic

  
  

And importantly, children who struggle with implicit learning often excel when the structure is made clear. They are perfectly capable of understanding the system, they just need it taught in a way that matches how their brain learn

Final Thoughts….

English spelling is complex because the language itself is complex. Expecting all children to pick it up implicitly is unrealistic. Some will, but many won’t - and that’s not a reflection of intelligence or potential.

Explicit orthography instruction gives every child access to the structure of the writing system. It turns spelling from guesswork into understanding.

Early intervention is important because it gives dyslexic learners the tools they need right from the start. This helps them understand how English works and builds their confidence to handle reading and spelling challenges more effectively.