Dyslexia 101
Signs of dyslexia
Age-by-age checklists of the warning signs — and what to do the moment they start adding up.
Know what to look for
Last updated July 10, 2026
What are the signs of dyslexia at each age?
The short answer: persistent clusters of trouble with rhyming, letter sounds, sounding out, and spelling — at any age. No single sign means dyslexia — look for clusters that persist. A family history of reading difficulty raises the likelihood significantly.
Preschool (ages 3–5)
- Trouble learning nursery rhymes or recognizing rhyming words
- Difficulty learning (and remembering) letter names
- Mispronouncing familiar words; "baby talk" that lingers
- Trouble recognizing the letters of their own name
- Family history of reading or spelling difficulty
Kindergarten – Grade 2
- Difficulty connecting letters to their sounds
- Laborious sounding-out; guessing words from the first letter or pictures
- Spelling that doesn't match sounds (beyond typical errors)
- Trouble remembering common sight words even after practice
- Avoiding reading aloud; frustration or tears at homework time
Grades 3–8
- Slow, effortful reading that drains energy and time
- Poor spelling despite studying; the same word spelled differently in one page
- Strong ideas out loud, but great difficulty getting them on paper
- Trouble finishing tests and assignments on time
- Avoiding reading for pleasure; "I hate reading"
Teens & adults
- Reading remains slow; re-reading needed for comprehension
- Weak spelling; heavy reliance on autocorrect and spell-check
- Difficulty learning foreign languages
- Preferring podcasts/audio; avoiding reading-heavy tasks at work
- A childhood story of struggle that was never explained
If you see the signs
Don't wait — screen
Reading risk can be identified as early as kindergarten, and early intervention is dramatically more effective than later remediation. If several signs fit, request a screening or evaluation now.