Arkansas Foundations of Reading Test (FORT) 2026 - Free FORT Practice Questions and Study Guide

The phonetic stage is actually one of the recognized stages in spelling development, where children begin to represent sounds with letters based on their understanding of phoneme-grapheme relationships. In this stage, spellers tend to write words as they sound, leading to inventive spellings that may not conform to standard spelling rules.

In contrast, the semiphonetic stage is an early phase where children start to understand the relationships between sounds and letters but may use only partial representations of words, often relying on initial letters. The transitional stage represents a middle phase where spellers begin to understand more complex spelling patterns, moving towards conventional spelling. Lastly, the derivational stage involves understanding how words are formed from their base or root words, including prefixes and suffixes, which is a more advanced level of spelling development.

Understanding these stages helps in assessing a child's spelling abilities and guiding their literacy development effectively.