The present study examines the effect of activating the connection between meaning
and phonology in spelling exercises in second-grade spellers (n541; 8 years and 3
months). In computer-based exercises in a within-subject design, semantic and
neutral descriptions were contrasted and provided either before the process of
spelling or in feedback. Orthographic and phonological information was available in
all practice conditions. The results indicate that words trained with semantic
descriptions are better spelled than words trained with neutral descriptions, even
when tested 1 month after a training period. No differential effects appear between
descriptions that were presented before spelling or presented in feedback. The
current study can be taken to suggest that activation of the semantic constituent is
facilitative in acquiring a stable association between the phonological and the
orthographic properties.