Why is my child's spelling so bad, and does it mean dyslexia?

Spelling is often harder than reading for a struggling reader, and it lags for a real reason: to spell a word you have to hold its sounds in order and know every letter that spells them, with no picture or context to lean on. Weak, inconsistent spelling, the same word spelled three ways on one page, frequently travels with dyslexia, though on its own it is not a diagnosis.

What helped your child's spelling: building words with letter tiles, spelling by sound before by sight, learning the reliable patterns a few at a time, practicing a short list often rather than a long one once? What made no difference at all?

Spelling improves through the same sound-by-sound work that helps reading, which is why Lillory practices spelling and reading together rather than treating them as separate subjects.