Progression in spelling

Spelling is often presented by educators as a sequence of word lists to look at, say, write and remember. But this hides what spelling really is: a complex integration of sound, structure, meaning, and motor skills. 

A skills-based approach asks not “Which words should learners know?” but “Which underlying skills does this learner have in place — and which are still developing?”

Crucially, this applies from the very beginning of spelling instruction.

Meaning matters from the start

Morphology, which is the language system whereby words are made up of units of meaning (prefixes, roots and suffixes), is too easily side-stepped in the earlier stages of teaching spelling. It’s a misconception that morphology only becomes relevant once learners are older. In reality, learners encounter meaningful units in spelling almost immediately.

The plural -s is not simply a sound added to a word; it is a whole unit of meaning signalling number. Likewise, the -ed in wanted represents tense and grammar, whereas the id in horrid is part of the root and carries no grammatical function. Phonetically, these may sound similar, but linguistically they are entirely different. 

If learners are taught to attend only to sound, they miss this distinction. From the earliest stages, spelling instruction must help learners consider what a part of a word is doing, not just how it sounds. This attention to meaning supports spelling accuracy, grammatical understanding, and later vocabulary growth.

Spelling foundations are broader than phonics

Early spelling relies on a wide set of foundations: oral segmentation, phonemic awareness, letter recognition, motor control, visual discrimination and directionality. These are not optional extras; they are prerequisites.

Alongside these, learners are already learning to build words using meaningful units such as adding -s, -ing, or -ed, and understanding that these additions change what a word means or does in a sentence. Teaching spelling as “write what you hear” is therefore insufficient, even at this stage.

“All words are spelled the way they are for a reason” ¹

As learners progress, spelling becomes more demanding because English spelling reflects history, meaning and structure as well as sound. They must manage alternative spellings of phonemes, consonant clusters, syllables, and later, increasingly complex morphological structures.

Suffixes such as -ment, -ness, -ful, -ation, and -ible are not just strings of letters to memorise. They signal meaning, word class, and grammatical function. Similarly, prefixes such as re-, mis-, or sub- shape meaning in predictable ways.

Spelling success at this stage depends on:

• phonological discrimination
• visual memory for letter sequences
• grammatical understanding
• and explicit awareness of roots, prefixes and suffixes.

When one of these elements is weak, spelling errors persist, regardless of how many words a learner practises.

Why older learners still struggle

By age 9 – 11, learners are expected to spell long, multi-morphemic words fluently while writing. This requires rapid retrieval, accurate analysis, and confident application of rules, all under heavy cognitive load. Older learners with spelling difficulties often have earlier skill gaps. Without addressing these foundations, additional spelling lists rarely lead to progress.

Using the progression document as a diagnostic tool

This document is most powerful when used not as a checklist of content, but as a skills audit. Practical ways teachers can use it include:

1. Identify the missing layer

When a learner struggles with spelling, locate where the difficulty sits:

• phonological (can they hear and segment sounds?)
• orthographic (can they recognise, recall and discriminate between written letter patterns?)
• morphological (do they understand the function and meaning of the different parts of the word?)
• motor or fluency-related (how is their writing posture and pen/pencil hold? Can they form letters correctly?)

2. Track skill progression, not just knowledge

Use the document to trace skills backwards. A 10 year old learner may still need targeted work on earlier phonological or morphological foundations.

3. Plan intervention intentionally

Ensure your intervention strengthens the missing skill rather than increasing word volume. This might mean:

• oral segmentation and syllable work
• explicit teaching of prefixes, roots and affixes
• visual pattern recognition & discrimination 
• letter formation, handwriting and posture

4. Use it for professional dialogue

The document provides a shared language for teachers, TAs and specialists to discuss spelling development coherently, moving away from vague labels such as “poor speller”.

Rethinking spelling instruction

I welcome the DfE Writing Framework (2025) which recognises that when transcription is not secure or automatic, it places excessive cognitive load on learners and limits their ability to express ideas in writing. For those who struggle with writing, it highlights the importance of identifying the source of writing difficulty, rather than responding only to surface-level errors or outcomes. 

Spelling’s job is to make sense. When we teach learners to see spelling as a system which is there to convey meaning, we give them tools that last far beyond a weekly test.

1. Lynn Stone, Spelling for Life ↩︎

If you would like to find out about Louise’s “From Chaos to Clarity” whole school training in spelling please get in touch.

Learn more about Morphology here.

Further Learning