•  The only scientific listing of over 5,500 of the most commonly used words in exact order of statistically proven difficulty which was based on the data derived from the late Harry Greene's The New Iowa Spelling Scale, University of Iowa, which is included in the book.
   
•  A separate alphabetical listing of the over 5,500 most commonly used words with examples of words of the same statistical level of difficulty so that teachers can properly construct spell downs in which each round will contain words of exactly equal difficulty!
   
•  Completely cross-referenced to The Patterns of English Spelling so teachers can create their own Sequential Spelling Tests based upon their own students' needs and difficulty levels.
   
•  The rank ordering of the words enables any teacher as well as any researcher to quickly validate or replicate the data regardless of the quality of the schools or the students.
   
•  It allows researchers and teachers to quickly determine the effectiveness of any spelling series. Create a posttest with half of the words being words that had been studied during the year. The other half will consist of words not taught but having the exact statistical degree of difficulty.  If the posttest gains on both parts are the same, the gains can be attributed to natural incidental learning rather than the textbook.
   
•  Schools interested in having their spelling program scientifically evaluated should contact Don McCabe, the Research Director of the AVKO Foundation.  E-mail DonMcCabe@aol.com or call (810) 686-9283.

A Partial Sample Page listing equivalents by difficulty

Homophones:  add/ad  new/knew/gnu   read/reed/Reid  sun/son  week/weak  him/hymn  tea/tee/ti   way/weigh  night/knight box/Bach's feet/feat/fete  ball/bawl   do/dew/due  May/may  male/mail  wood/would  more/Moore   so/sew/sow/sol (as in do, re, me, fa, sol, la, ti, do)  two/too/to   dear/deer  be/bee/Bea  pie/pi

A Partial Sample Page listing words alphabetically giving Difficulty Factors (DF)

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*abuse is a heteronym.  When it is a noun as in the phrase child abuse, it is pronounced "uh b'YOO-ss."  When it is a verb as in the phrase to abuse a privilege, it is pronounced "uh b"YOO-z."  All heteronyms are identified by the use of bold italics.

** All homophones are identified by bold letters.   Acts is a homophone of ax and axe and in some dialects "ask."

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For more on the teaching of spelling, especially to a dyslexic or those with specific learning disabilities click on

Sequential Spelling

The Patterns of English Spelling

The Mechanics of English Spelling

All donations are greatly appreciated.  If you would like to support our mission which is to raise the level of literacy to the point where the words, illiteracy, phonemic awareness, learning disabilities, dysgraphia, family literacy, adult literacy, and illegible handwriting will no longer have relevance, please mail your tax-deductible check (in U.S. dollars) to The AVKO Foundation, 3084 Willard Road, Suite W, Birch Run, MI 48415-7801.  The AVKO Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a 501(C)3 publicly supported organization working with teachers, parents, tutors, and home schooling parents, publishing materials developed by its research, and providing free daily tutoring at its local reading clinic.

If you have comments about this website or questions concerning spelling, phonics, learning disabilities, homeschooling, etc., you may always e-mail DonMcCabe@aol.com.  We appreciate any comments that will help us make this website even more useful. 

Call Toll Free:  1-866-285-6612
Fax:  (810) 686-1101
E-mail: Webmaster: avkoemail@aol.com 
or  Write:  
Research Director

AVKO Educational Research Foundation
3084 Willard Road, Suite W
Birch Run, MI 48415-7801