Variation is the Spice of Spelling: The Effect of Implicit Cues on Dutch Past Tense Spelling is Dependent on Age and Literacy, but Not on Task Format

Spelling is influenced by implicit cues, but less is known about variability in this reliance. We assessed whether the influence of three implicit cues on Dutch past tense spelling was moderated by grade, literacy, and format. An Auditory infinitive, Written infinitive, and Picture+cloze format was completed by 68 third-graders and 47 sixth-graders. The implicit cues voicing probability and token frequency affected accuracy, especially in Grade 6 and in children with higher literacy skills. There was no task format effect. This shows that children’s inflection accuracy is affected by implicit cues, but the degree of reliance on these cues is variable.