Developmental Stages in Spelling:
(Adapted from Gentry, "You Can Analyze Developmental Spelling-and Here’s How to Do It," Early Years, May 1985)

Precommunicative: This is the "babbling" stage of spelling. Children use letters for writing words but the letters are strung together randomly and do not correspond to sounds.
For example: OPSPS = eagle

Semiphonetic: At this stage, spellers know that letters represent sounds. Spellings are often abbreviated representing the initial and/or final sounds of a word.
For example: E = eagle, A = eighty

Phonetic: At this stage, spellers spell words like they sound. The speller perceives and represents all of the phonemes in a word, though spellings may be unconventional.
For example: EGL = eagle, ATE = eighty

Transitional: Spellers in this stage think about how words appear visually. Spellings exhibit vowels in every syllable and vowel digraph pattern.
For example: EGUL = eagle, EIGHTEE = eighty

Correct/Standard: Correct spelling that develops over time by way of word study and writing.