Learning to read and write are two sides of the same coin. While many parents and teachers might focus on phonics and spelling as separate skills, teaching them together can lead to better outcomes for young learners. In this article, we’ll explore how phonics and spelling instruction work hand in hand to create stronger readers and writers.

Why Connect Phonics and Spelling Instruction?

When children learn to read using phonics, they’re learning how letters and letter combinations represent speech sounds. This same knowledge is crucial for spelling—it’s just working in the opposite direction. Instead of seeing letters and producing sounds (reading), children hear sounds and produce letters (spelling).

Systematic, explicit instruction in both phonics and spelling leads to better outcomes in both areas. Let’s talk about why this connection is so powerful.

Reinforcing Letter-Sound Relationships

When children practice both reading and spelling words with similar patterns, they strengthen their understanding of how sounds and letters work together. This connection is crucial for developing strong literacy skills. Here’s how it works in practice:

Letter-Sound Pattern Recognition 

Children need repeated exposure to specific patterns to internalize them. For example, when teaching the short ‘a’ sound:

• Begin with simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words like ‘cat,’ ‘hat,’ and ‘map’
• Have children read these words in decodable texts
• Practice spelling words with the same pattern
• Play games that reinforce both reading and spelling these patterns

Building Pattern Awareness

As children work with specific sound patterns, they begin to recognize them in new contexts:

• They learn to identify word families (like -at, -ap, -an)
• They notice these patterns in their reading
• They apply these patterns more confidently in their writing
• They make connections between similar words

Systematic Practice

The key to success is providing systematic practice in both directions:

• Reading to Spelling: “Here’s the word ‘cat.’ What sounds do you hear?”
• Spelling to Reading: “Let’s spell the word ‘mat.’ What letters make those sounds?”

A Word on Sight Words

The term “sight words” often creates confusion in phonics instruction. While many teachers are familiar with sight word lists and flashcards, it’s important to understand how they fit into explicit phonics instruction.

What Are Sight Words Really?

The science of reading tells us that all words eventually become “sight words” – words we can read automatically without decoding. However, this doesn’t mean we should teach all common words through memorization. Instead:

• Many traditional “sight words” can and should be taught through phonics (like “in,” “at,” “up”)
• Only truly irregular words need to be taught as unique patterns (like “the,” “was,” “of”)

Instead of relying on pure memorization, which can overwhelm students and hinder their phonics development, teaching sight words within the context of systematic phonics instruction can help with the learning process.

This means teaching regular sight words alongside related phonics patterns (like teaching “at” when working on short ‘a’ sounds), explicitly teaching only truly irregular words (like “was” and “of”), and continuously reviewing previously learned words. This integrated approach helps students develop strong decoding skills while building automatic word recognition, leading to better outcomes in both reading and spelling.

Building Confident Readers and Writers

One of the most common and problematic reading behaviors occurs around kindergarten when children are nearing the end of the year. At this stage, most children know all or nearly all letters of the alphabet and have received some phonemic awareness and decoding instruction. However, the rate at which they master these skills can vary.

As they begin to connect sounds to graphemes, some students may guess at words based on the first letter or two instead of fully decoding them. For example, they might see the word ‘pit’ and read it as ‘pig’ or look at ‘bag’ and say ‘bat.’ This happens because they haven’t fully mastered sound-symbol relationships, often relying on context clues or pictures rather than systematically decoding the entire word.

By practicing both phonics and spelling together, students develop crucial skills that prevent this guessing habit:

• Children learn to analyze every sound position in a word systematically, from beginning to end
• They develop stronger phonemic awareness and can mentally map sounds to letters with greater precision
• They build neural pathways that connect pronunciation, spelling, and meaning
• They’re more likely to slow down and decode unfamiliar words rather than guess
• They develop automatic recognition of common spelling patterns, improving both accuracy and fluency

This integrated approach is particularly powerful because it engages multiple learning pathways in the brain – visual, auditory, and kinesthetic – creating stronger, more reliable reading skills that persist even when students encounter new or challenging words.

Practical Strategies for Parents and Teachers

Here are some effective ways to connect phonics and spelling instruction:

Start with Sounds: Before introducing new letter patterns, have children practice hearing and manipulating the target sounds in words. For example, before teaching the ‘bl’ blend:

• Practice blending sounds: “/b/ /l/ /ā/ /k/” becomes “Blake”
• Practice segmenting words: “blob” becomes “/b/ /l/ /ŏ/ /b/”

Use Systematic Instruction 

Follow a clear sequence when teaching both reading and spelling:

• Begin with simple patterns and gradually increase the complexity
• Ensure children master basic skills before moving to more challenging ones
• Review previously learned patterns regularly

Provide Plenty of Practice

Give children opportunities to work with words in multiple ways:

• Reading decodable texts that feature target patterns
• Writing words with the same patterns
• Playing games that incorporate both reading and spelling

Signs of Success

You’ll know your connected instruction is working when you see:

• Increased confidence in approaching new words
• Better accuracy in both reading and spelling
• Less reliance on guessing strategies
• More willingness to attempt challenging words

Remember, learning to read and spell takes time. Some children may need more practice than others, and that’s perfectly normal. The key is maintaining consistent, systematic instruction that connects these related skills.

Want to learn more about effective phonics and spelling instruction? Explore our other helpful resources here at Phonics.org, where we share expert reviews and tips for supporting young readers and writers.