Why Spelling Matters

“I had an interesting hike in the woods today. I found an old den under a tree stump. It could have been a wolf or coyote den, or even the winter home of a small bear. There was a hawk’s nest high up in the fork of a tree. I saw the white tail of a deer through the underbrush as it leaped away. A rabbit ran across the path, and later I spotted a fat trout swimming in the river. Overhead, an eagle soared….”

Is this story believable? Sure, why not? It’s very possible to see an old animal den, a deer, and a hawk in the woods.

But what if the passage had been written like this:

“I had an intresting hike in the woods today. I found an old den under a tree stump. It coud have been a wolf or cayote den, or even the winter home of a small bare. There was a hawks nest hi up in the fork of a tree. I saw the wite tail of a dear thru the underbrush as it leeped away. A rabit ran across the path, and later I spotted a fat trout swiming in the river. Overhead, an eagle sored….”

With all of those misspelled words, you might start questioning the credibility of the writer. You might wonder how old the writer is, and if he is even old enough to wander in the woods alone. You might also wonder about the writer’s level of education or even question his intelligence.

Think about it. After just a few short sentences, you would question the author’s age, education, intellect, and credibility. So, does spelling matter? If someone wants to be taken seriously, it definitely does.  

As readers, we don’t set out to be judgmental. In many cases, however, the only knowledge we have of an author is through what we are reading—and, consequently, how that text is written greatly affects our opinion of both the writer and the message.

Now apply that idea to your child’s life. Think about his college applications or the resume he will have to prepare someday.

How we write is a direct reflection of our intelligence, knowledge, education, experience, and personality—and of course we want to show off our talents in the best possible light!

So does proper spelling really matter? You bet it does!

Have a question about teaching spelling?

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