Some written languages (the so-called “deep orthographies” such as English) have often unpredictable links to word sounds, making some written words difficult to associate with their spoken forms (i.e., to decode), thereby impeding comprehension. To read these languages efficiently for comprehension, readers require visual cues such as predictable spelling patterns (orthotactic conventions). Sensitivity to English orthotactic conventions (e.g., which letters are sometimes doubled, where configurations such as wh can typically be found in a word) was assessed in a cross-sectional sample of children (N = 271, ages 5–11 years) in kindergarten through Grade 5 using a word-likeness task. Orthotactic sensitivity was strongly correlated with silent word-reading fluency, an important reading skill used frequently in daily life to obtain information, and was modestly correlated with lexical spelling recognition. Among fluent decoders of predictable letter–sound relations, orthotactic sensitivity began to emerge prior to formal reading instruction and developed rapidly from kindergarten to Grade 2. About two thirds of dysfluent decoders (a proxy for dyslexia) demonstrated above-chance orthotactic sensitivity; however, their performance lagged behind that of fluent decoders through Grade 5. Orthotactic acquisition, possible reasons for impairment, and classroom implications are discussed.

一些书面语言（所谓的“深度正字法”，如英语）往往与单词的发音有不可预测的联系，使得一些书面词难以与其口语形式相关联（即解码），从而阻碍理解。为了有效地阅读这些语言以进行理解，读者需要视觉提示，例如可预测的拼写模式（正则约定）。灵敏度为英语orthotactic约定（例如，其字母有时一倍，其中配置，诸如WH通常可以在一个字中找到）的儿童的横截面样品中进行了评估（Ñ = 271，年龄 5-11 岁）从幼儿园到 5 年级，使用单词相似性任务。正位敏感度与无声读字流畅度密切相关，这是一种在日常生活中经常用于获取信息的重要阅读技能，与词汇拼写识别适度相关。在可预测的字母-声音关系的流畅解码器中，正觉敏感性在正式阅读教学之前开始出现，并从幼儿园到 2 年级迅速发展。大约三分之二的不流畅解码器（阅读障碍的代表）表现出高于机会的正觉敏感性；然而，它们的性能在 5 年级之前落后于 fluent 解码器。讨论了正畸获取、可能的损伤原因和课堂影响。