117. Beneath the Surface of Words: What English Spelling Reveals and Why It Matters with Sue Scibetta Hegland

What if the English spelling system isn’t nearly as irregular as we’ve been led to believe? What if the letters we sometimes call “silent” are actually telling us something important about a word’s structure, identity, or history?

Sue Scibetta Hegland, author of Beneath the Surface of Words: What English Spelling Reveals and Why It Matters joins the show for a fascinating conversation about what lies beneath the surface of English spelling.

Sue shares how her son’s experience with dyslexia sparked her journey into understanding the English spelling system and why learning to read and learning to spell don’t always develop in the same way.

We explore three foundational concepts: English spelling is structural, spelling reveals the identity of words, and written and spoken language are deeply connected yet distinct systems. Through examples like says, does, been, comfortable, and even leopard, Sue reveals how morphology, phonology, and etymology work together to make English spelling more understandable.

We also discuss why graphemes don’t always represent phonemes, the different roles of graphemic markers, and how Sue’s thinking has evolved as she works on the second edition of her book.

Plus, Sue shares insights from her conversations with renowned reading researcher Dr. Linnea Ehri, including the role of morphology in orthographic mapping and why morphological instruction doesn’t need to wait until students are older.

Key Takeaways:

  • Morphology provides a structural framework for understanding English spelling
  • Spelling preserves word identity, even when pronunciation changes
  • Graphemes can serve purposes beyond representing phonemes
  • Why phonology and morphology should be taught in parallel from the beginning
  • Why teaching the English spelling system doesn’t have to mean overwhelming young learners with complexity.

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