The relationship between the processes involved in reading and spelling in adults

Reading and spelling are learned abilities that require the recognition and processing of words. Several models of word recognition have been developed to show how skilled readers recognise words. The dual-route model is the most comprehensive model and involves two processing routes or mechanisms for recognizing printed words; the lexical route and the non-lexical route. Differences in the reliance on lexical and non-lexical processes used to read regular words, irregular words, and nonwords have been found in both normally functioning and impaired readers (Baron, 1979; Baron & Treiman, 1980; Freebody & Byrne, 1988; Byrne, Freebody, & Gates, 1992). Having identified such patterns in reading, researchers have begun to investigate whether spelling involves similar processes to reading and whether similar patterns of reliance exist. Spelling is considered the inverse of reading, with reading involving the conversion of an orthographic representation to a phonological representation, while spelling involves the transformation from phonology to orthography (Ellis, 1982). It has been found that readers who differ in reliance on lexical and non-lexical processes have a corresponding difference in their spelling styles (Baron, Treiman, Wilf, & Kellman, 1980). In order to determine whether spelling uses the same processes as reading future research could explore whether reading and spelling are similarly affected by word frequency and reading age.