During which stage of Spelling Development does a speller start to assimilate conventional representations of sounds?

The stage where a speller begins to assimilate conventional representations of sounds is the transitional stage. In this stage, children recognize the connection between sounds and letters, and they start to apply phonetic principles to spell words more accurately. They transition from simply using the sounds they hear to understanding the standard spelling patterns and rules of the language, reflecting a growing awareness of how words are typically constructed. This development involves more sophisticated spelling strategies, such as recognizing common prefixes, suffixes, and general spelling conventions.

In contrast to the transitional stage, the other stages focus on different aspects of spelling development. The precommunicative stage consists of scribbles and random letters, showing little recognition of letter-sound relationships. The phonetic stage emphasizes a one-to-one correspondence where sounds are matched to letters, but not necessarily with an understanding of conventional spelling rules. The correct stage involves spelling most words accurately, demonstrating mastery of conventional representations, which would be the culmination of the prior stages. Thus, the transitional stage is crucial for developing a bridge from phonetic spelling to conventional spelling practices.