Invented Spelling

Has your preschooler or early learner ever "invented" new spellings of words? Indeed, it can be fun to try and decipher your child's whimsical cards or thoughtful poems, complete with endearing stick figure drawings and made-up invented spelling. It's almost as though, in reading his or her first shot at creative writing, you share a special bond. You "understand" what your child is trying to get across.

But the question that parents often ask is: should the "invention" of new spellings be encouraged as kids get older? Does invented spelling serve as a building block on the path to learning? Will your child grow into a better speller because of it?

Or are invented spellings actually more of a deterrent to and a distraction from mastering the proper way to spell? Let's explore the issue in greater detail.

Invented spelling looks like this:

te ros wuz prde dn rad wt gren levs. (The rose was pretty and red with green leaves.)

mi muthr baks caks wt fasis. (My mother bakes cakes with faces.)

Please allow me to differentiate: invented spelling is not the same as phonetic spelling. In phonetic spelling, a child might try to work out the spelling using the phonetic rules he or she knows and which may be incorrect. The term "invented spelling" refers to idiosyncratic spelling, where the child makes up or "invents" the spelling for a word that may or may not be partially based on phonetics.

Proponents for invented spelling believe it helps children learn.

For its proponents, invented spelling is informative in that it reveals what the child does and does not yet know about the English language. They assert that invented spelling allows children to communicate in writing long before they are able to spell each word correctly. This means that children are able to express ideas smoothly without being slowed down by having to spell words out.

Invented spelling has come into vogue in the education system with the introduction of the whole language approach to literacy development.

Invented spelling is based on the idea of natural learning—that children can best learn to read in the same developmental way they learn to speak as toddlers and preschoolers. Supporters of invented spelling believe that direct and systematic teaching of spelling is detrimental to a child’s creativity and ability to communicate in writing.

While this may be the case to a limited degree in the first couple of years of school, a child’s inability to spell words correctly can be a serious impediment to academic success in the long term. The invented spelling approach has led to a deficit of direct and systematic teaching of spelling and other written language skills in the classroom.

Invented spelling is an experiment that has failed.

For all its promises, there have been no long-term studies that prove the efficacy of invented spelling as a learning tool. In fact, there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence to support that invented spelling leads to poor written communication skills in later years. If children are not directly taught to spell, they may never learn to spell correctly. We all know adults who cannot spell well because they never learned as children.

Taking the time to learn to spell systematically in elementary school sets children up for reading and writing and communicating ideas more easily. In fact, they will actually learn to spell faster if taught in a systematic and orderly fashion. Children who have been taught invented spelling may take much longer to learn to spell words correctly—and many do not achieve this at all. Such children can become frustrated in later years of schooling as they realize they cannot spell, nor can they recognize incorrect spelling. This deficiency is often interpreted by secondary school teachers as a lack of academic ability and causes a loss of confidence in the student.

Spelling is best taught by a combination of phonograms and rules.

There are 26 letters in the alphabet and 72 letter combinations called phonograms. Out of 17,000 English words, only 3% do not conform to the rules of the language and must be learned by rote. This means that learning spelling should be relatively painless and easy. A child simply needs to learn 72 phonograms and the basic spelling rules to be able to work out how to spell most words correctly. This also means they will be able to read most words easily, a substantial aid to their academic development.

Invented spelling should have no place in a classroom or home school situation. Students who do not develop an intuition about spelling are often unable to proofread their own work with accuracy. Furthermore, it will take a great deal of unlearning to correct faulty spelling later on. It is much better to do things right and prevent problems than to have to remediate later.