# Learning statistical orthographic patterns in disyllabic English words and using them in reading and spelling

> **NIH NIH R01** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $338,625

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Reading and spelling instruction typically focuses on single-syllable words, and children
sometimes have difficulty when confronted with longer words. These difficulties can be
especially severe in children with dyslexia. Previous research has concentrated on spelling–
sound relationships and reading and spelling processes for one-syllable English words.
Less is known about how children deal with longer words and how to teach them to do so.
To fill the gap in knowledge about longer words, the current project studies two-syllable
words—the most common type of longer word in English. We focus on three issues: which
syllable of a word is stressed, whether a stressed first syllable has a short or long vowel, and
whether a middle consonant is spelled with a single or a double letter.
One set of studies examines the linguistic cues that could potentially help readers and
spellers decide on stress, vowel length, and consonant doubling. To do this, we examine the
spelling–sound relationships in comprehensive lists of disyllabic words that occur in
reading materials at each of the kindergarten to university levels. We expect to find a
number of probabilistic patterns that, taken together, help to predict stress, vowel length,
and consonant doubling. We ask whether some of these patterns change across grade levels
as children are increasingly exposed to words of Latin and Greek origin.
To study how children are currently taught to read and spell longer words, we analyze
teaching materials that are widely used in the U.S. for phonics and spelling instruction. We
expect to find that children receive relatively little teaching about longer words and that the
teaching that they do receive is sometimes incomplete or misleading.
Finally, we conduct studies in which students in Grades 2, 5, 9, and university are asked to
pronounce and spell selected words and nonwords. The goal of these studies is to examine
whether learners pick up the patterns that are available in the language, including patterns
that are not normally covered in phonics and spelling instruction. We expect to find that
children do learn about some untaught patterns but that this process is slow and ultimately
incomplete. Instruction could help to speed the process.
The results of the project will provide a basis for improving the teaching of reading and
spelling for children, including children who struggle with literacy learning. The findings
should also be useful in designing instruction for adults who are learning English as a
second language.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10465276
- **Project number:** 5R01HD102346-02
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Rebecca A. Treiman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $338,625
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-08-09 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10465276

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10465276, Learning statistical orthographic patterns in disyllabic English words and using them in reading and spelling (5R01HD102346-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10465276. Licensed CC0.

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