ABSTRACT
It is well known that alphabetic languages vary in the predictability of spelling-sound mappings (Seymour, Aro, & Erskine, 2003). English has a relatively opaque orthography with lower spelling-sound predictability, containing numerous inconsistencies in how similar spellings are pronounced. Examples of how difficult it is to predict the pronunciation of similarly spelled words include bough, cough, though, and hint, pint. In contrast, some other European languages have orthographies that are highly consistent across words. Spanish is one such language. One would expect these differences in the consistency of spelling-sound predictability to affect reading development. This chapter discusses current evidence relating to this expectation.
