Hi there,

I wanted to share one more thought on b and d confusion, because this comes up a lot.

And here’s what I’ve noticed: It’s usually not the letters themselves.

Students may know b.
They may know d.

But when they start reading and writing more independently, that’s when the confusion shows up.

Where things tend to break down

The confusion isn’t just about the letters themselves.

b and d are mirror images, which makes them easy to mix up.

And once students begin reading and writing more independently, this confusion becomes more noticeable because they’re processing multiple things at once.

They’re trying to apply what they’ve learned while also:

• reading words
• thinking about sounds
• writing
• remembering direction

So it’s not just about the letters anymore, it’s about how everything is coming together.

You may also see this with other letters like p and q, but b and d are the most common.

This is why structure matters

When your instruction is:

✔ clearly sequenced
✔ connected between reading and spelling
✔ reinforced through practice

When something like b/d confusion shows up, you know how to support it without starting over.

This is what I built into

​Read and Spell Lessons: Consonants and Short Vowels​

It walks you through:

✔ what to teach first
✔ how to build skills
✔ how reading and spelling connect
✔ what this looks like in lessons

And I included something extra

Since this comes up often, I added a simple b/d confusion activity.

You can pull it out and use it when needed—without interrupting your instruction or guessing what to do.

Take a look here

I also wrote a full article: Why Students Confuse b and d​

Warmly,
Jennifer

​www.ogforall.com​
​

Simple rules. Serious results. That’s OG.