3.4 — "It’s All Greek to Me"

An explanation and teaching example showing the lived experience of dyslexic spelling and the thinking behind it.

Statement (as written)

3.4 Its all Greek to me
• The statement above is ment to explain that WHILST OTHER NON DYSLEXICS UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF VERBAL SPELLING, WHEN ASKING SOME ONE HOW TO SPELL A WORD, THIS CONCEPT IS NOT THE CASE WITH DYSLEXICS, BECAUSE THE FOLLOWING OCCURES.
• Evbn though the person spelling the word foor the dyslexic may be non threatening the dyslexic fear of getting it wrong immidatley sets the writes at a panic station
• That the writer becomes verbally confused (verbal dyslexia) and still cannot spell the word even though they might haave spelt it many times before in their lives. Thus it becomes like the speller speaking greek to them.

Polished Section — "It’s All Greek to Me"

"It’s All Greek to Me" describes how spelling spoken aloud often doesn’t translate into accurate written spelling for many dyslexic people.

Key points (brief)

  • Not the same as non-dyslexics: Hearing letters spelled aloud (e.g. "C–A–T") often does not help a dyslexic person reproduce the word correctly.
  • Anxiety and panic: Even a supportive environment can trigger immediate fear of being wrong, which disrupts recall.
  • Verbal confusion: In the moment, the writer can become verbally confused ("verbal dyslexia") and unable to spell a familiar word.
  • Feels foreign: Because of the disconnect, the experience can feel like someone is "speaking Greek".

Why this matters

This explanation helps educators and supporters understand that spelling difficulty is not a lack of knowledge — it is a breakdown in the translation between auditory input and written output, often worsened by stress.

Teaching Example — Raw vs. Interpretation

Raw dyslexic textInterpretation / Explanation
tghe aa and evben might be due to hast ands typing on aa key bord reevaluate
  • tghe / evben: Likely keyboard slips (transposed letters) or fast typing.
  • aa: Repeated keypress / haste.
  • ands / haave (example): Dyslexic substitutions or doubled letters common in dyslexic spelling patterns.
  • Overall: Shows a quick flow of ideas with mixed mechanical and dyslexic errors; the meaning and the thought process remain clear.

Conclusion

The passage highlights how spelling spoken aloud can fail for some dyslexic individuals, how anxiety amplifies the difficulty, and how strengths such as metacognition and big-picture thinking remain visible despite surface errors.

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