English and Spanish Spelling: Are They Really Different?

While acknowledging the undeniable differences between a shallow, transparent orthography like that of Spanish and a deep, asymmetrical spelling system such as is found in English, this article asserts that there are also marked similarities between them. Both orthographic systems violate the universal phonemic principle in exactly the same three ways: They lack regularity of one‐to‐one correspondence, of phonemic assignment, and of graphemic assignment. In addition, the psychological processes identified in both their acquisition and their production are parallel. The causes that best account for misspelling and the didactic errors traditionally made in the teaching of spelling in both languages have also been found to be practically identical. Finally, the same pedagogical practices can be followed for their instruction: Both English and Spanish spelling can be taught systematically and explicitly. Both can be integrated within the broader language arts curriculum through diverse activities, strategies, and classroom organization patterns; by fostering cyclic revision and feedback; and by establishing links between both orthographic systems. Thus, this overview of the similarities between English and Spanish spelling results in the assertion that, despite their obvious dissimilarities, both can be taught in similar ways, by following equivalent principles, and even in connection to each other.