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Does dyslexia affect spelling?

5 minute read · updated October 28, 2026

13 sources: 3 government or law, 2 peer-reviewed research, 5 charity or professional body, 3 product documentation

Yes. The 2025 UK Delphi definition treats difficulties with reading fluency and spelling as a key marker of dyslexia across languages and ages.[1] The International Dyslexia Association notes that many people with dyslexia learn to read fairly well, while difficulties with spelling tend to persist throughout life.[2]

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Spelling is one of the few points every major definition shares. This page sets out what those definitions and adult studies say, and which everyday tools help. Poor spelling on its own does not show that someone is dyslexic, and nothing here can tell you whether you are.

Spelling in the definitions

How four definitions mention spelling, as quoted or summarized by the 2025 Delphi paper and the NCIL guide
DefinitionWhat it says about spelling
IDA, 2002Poor spelling and decoding abilities alongside word recognition difficulties[1]
Rose, UK, 2009Primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling[1]
IDA, 2025A difficulty in word reading and/or spelling, involving accuracy, speed or both[3]
UK Delphi, 2025Processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling; fluency and spelling difficulties a key marker[1]

The Delphi authors also note that spelling difficulties are often persistent in dyslexia, and that the relationship between spelling and reading problems is understudied.[1] They add that there is little agreement yet on how to measure spelling fluency, which is one reason it is hard to build into a definition.[1]

Why spelling can lag behind reading

Reading and spelling are related but not the same task. A US Department of Education practice guide calls spelling a word from its sounds "encoding," the reverse of decoding.[4] The IDA fact sheet on spelling observes that most learners can read many more words than they can spell, and that a general kind of visual memory plays a relatively minor role in learning to spell.[2]

English makes the gap wider. The NCIL guide to the 2025 IDA definition explains that in languages with very regular spelling, difficulties may show mainly as slow reading, while in English they often affect both accuracy and speed.[3] See dyslexia in a second language for how this plays out across languages.

What studies of adults show

A 2012 Belgian study compared 100 university students diagnosed with dyslexia with 100 students without learning disabilities. Spelling tests produced some of the largest group differences in the study, with effect sizes around 2, and unlike most other measures the spelling differences were large for accuracy as well as speed.[5] Text comprehension, by contrast, was nearly the same in both groups.[5]

An effect size of 2 means the two groups' averages were about two standard deviations apart, a large gap by research standards. These were students who had reached higher education, which fits the IDA observation that reading can improve while spelling stays hard.[2]

Tools that help

Spellcheckers help but do not catch every error, as the IDA fact sheet points out.[2] Microsoft Word's Editor pane, opened from the Review tab, can read its suggestions aloud.[7] Dictation avoids spelling while drafting: on iPhone it is switched on under Settings, General, Keyboard, and Word has a Dictate button on the Home tab.[8][9]

  • Keep a personal list of words you use at work and often need to check. The word list tool on this site can hold one.
  • Read a draft back with text-to-speech before sending it; hearing the words can catch a wrong but correctly spelled word.
  • Ask a colleague to check documents that will be widely shared. The BDA lists allowing colleagues to proofread among reasonable adjustments.[10]

Quick answers

Can you read well and still spell poorly with dyslexia?

Yes. The IDA says many people with dyslexia learn to read fairly well while spelling difficulties persist.[2]

Does poor spelling mean someone has dyslexia?

No. The Delphi authors stress that other causes of literacy difficulty need to be ruled out, and only a diagnostic assessment can identify dyslexia.[1][12]

Do spellcheckers solve spelling problems?

They help, but the IDA notes that spellcheckers do not identify all errors.[2]

Is spelling tested in an adult dyslexia assessment?

Yes. Spelling is one of the attainment areas on the UK list of suitable tests for specific learning difficulties.[13]

Review status

Source-checked, not expert-reviewed

Drafted with AI assistance. Each factual claim was checked against the source it links to on 2026-10-28. No clinician, psychologist or dyslexia specialist has reviewed this page. See the claims register.

Sources

  1. [1]Toward a consensus on dyslexia: findings from a Delphi study. Carroll, Holden, Kirby, Thompson, Snowling and the Dyslexia Delphi Panel. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (doi:10.1111/jcpp.14123), 2025. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
  2. [2]Spelling (Internet Archive snapshot of 2026-05-11). International Dyslexia Association (prepared with Louisa Cook Moats). Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
  3. [3]Explaining IDA's new definition of dyslexia: questions and answers (Reading the Room discussion series). National Center on Improving Literacy (developed under a US Department of Education grant), 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Government or law
  4. [4]Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016-4008). Foorman et al., What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, 2016. Accessed 2026-10-28. Government or law
  5. [5]Cognitive profile of students who enter higher education with an indication of dyslexia. Callens, Tops and Brysbaert. PLoS ONE 7(6): e38081 (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038081), 2012. Accessed 2026-10-28. Peer-reviewed research
  6. [6]Equality Act 2010 guidance: guidance on matters to be taken into account in determining questions relating to the definition of disability. Office for Disability Issues, HM Government, 2011. Accessed 2026-10-28. Government or law
  7. [7]Check grammar, spelling, and more in Word. Microsoft Support. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  8. [8]Dictate text on iPhone. Apple, 2026. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  9. [9]Dictate your documents in Word. Microsoft Support. Accessed 2026-10-28. Product documentation
  10. [10]Dyslexia friendly workplaces: a guide for employers. British Dyslexia Association, 2023. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
  11. [11]Diagnostic Assessment Report for Specific Learning Difficulties (report format, no comments version). SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC), 2025. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
  12. [12]How is dyslexia diagnosed?. British Dyslexia Association. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body
  13. [13]List of Suitable Tests for the Assessment of Specific Learning Difficulties (revised June 2024). SpLD Test Evaluation Committee (STEC) of SASC, 2024. Accessed 2026-10-28. Charity or professional body

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This educational questionnaire summarizes what you tell us about reading and writing. It does not screen for, diagnose, or rule out dyslexia or any other condition.