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Making Sense of Multisyllabic Words with Don Compton & Laura Steacy

Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ® | Science of Reading for Teachers

Chapters
0:00
Why Longer Words Trip Kids
2:12
What Makes Complex Words Hard
6:05
Morphology Shifts That Raise Difficulty
11:18
How Skilled Readers Use Chunks
17:10
Set For Variability And Partial Decoding
26:28
Teacher Moves When Kids Get Stuck
29:59
Dyslexia And The Limits Of Memorizing
35:06
The DELP Word Difficulty Database
39:28
Live DELP Walkthrough For Word Lists
49:43
One Small Shift To Try Tomorrow
Melissa & Lori Love Literacy ® | Science of Reading for Teachers
Making Sense of Multisyllabic Words with Don Compton & Laura Steacy
Jul 10, 2026

Episode 255

Experts Don Compton & Laura Steacy explore the complexities of multisyllabic word reading and the decoding challenges older readers encounter, especially those with dyslexia. They discuss how readers navigate complex words using different decoding strategies, the role of morphology and “set for variability” in reading development, and how tools like the DELP database help predict word difficulty. The episode offers practical insights into supporting literacy development and improving instruction for struggling readers.

Resources 


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