How

to
Solve
Letter
Reversals
 An Important Message
from Marie Rippel

Hi, my name is Marie Rippel and I’m the author of the

All About® Reading and All About® Spelling programs.
Thanks for downloading my free report on how to solve
letter reversals!
Many young children struggle with letter reversals (also called letter
confusion). The most frequently confused pairs of letters are b and d, p
and q, p and d, and n and u. The letter confusion can exist in handwriting,
in reading, or both. When students have persistent reversals, reading
becomes a struggle and it can be difficult for them to spell and express
themselves in writing.
Fortunately, you can solve problems with letter reversals. In this report,
I’ll share techniques and methods that will explain how to prevent letter
reversals before they begin, as well as what to do if your child already
reverses letters.
As you read through this report, feel free to jot down any questions you
may have. You can email us at support@allaboutlearningpress.com, or
call us at 715-477-1976. No question is too big or too small–we’re here to
help.
I hope that this report provides helpful information as you work to solve
letter reversals.
Make learning a joy!

Marie Rippel
Founder, All About® Learning Press, Inc.

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 2

 1 What is Normal?

Most of the letters of the alphabet have unique shapes, so no matter

which way you turn them, they can’t be confused with any others. For
example, the letter m looks quite different from the letter x, and f is not
likely to be confused with z.
There are a few notorious troublemakers, however, particularly b and d,
the letters that children most often have trouble with. It is easy to see
where the confusion comes from: just flip the b and it becomes a d. The
beginning reader or dyslexic child may not realize that the direction of the
letter matters, or he may not be able to remember which letter is which.
Letters and numbers that can be flipped include:

bd pq pd nu 69
If your child is between the ages of three and seven, is just starting to
read, and makes occasional reversal errors when reading or writing, it’s
perfectly normal. It doesn’t mean that your child has dyslexia or a reading
disability. Make a gentle correction and move on.
But if your child is eight years or older, has had prior reading instruction,
and is making frequent letter reversal errors, it is important to take action
to solve the reversal problems.

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 3

 2 What Can You Do About Reversals?

As teachers and parents, we have two jobs to do regarding reversals:

1. Try to prevent confusion.
2. Where confusion exists, resolve it.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these jobs.
Job #1: Try to prevent letter confusion before it begins.
When your child is learning to print, be sure to teach correct letter
formation. This is critical to prevent confusion.

When forming the letter b, start with the stick first, followed by the
circle. To write the letter d do just the opposite: start with the circle
first, followed by the stick.
Have your child use lined paper so it is clear where the circle is in relation
to the stick. Also be sure your student does not lift the pencil from the
paper when writing any of the confusable letters.

The All About® Reading program is carefully structured to minimize the likelihood
of letter reversals. We teach the sounds of potentially confusing letters like b
and d in separate lessons. The child’s task is simplified because he only has to
make one new visual discrimination at a time.

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 4

 Job #2: If your child already reverses letters, resolve the confusion.
If you are working with older learners, it may be too late to prevent
confusion. Maybe they’ve had a few false starts in reading and have
already confused these troublemakers. Maybe they encounter the
letter b and misinterpret it as the letter d. Or maybe they read the word
bad as dab, or fad as fab. You can give a gentle correction, pull out the
corresponding Phonogram Cards, and re-teach the letters separately, but
your student may still mix them up.
In the remainder of this report, we’ll cover four effective methods to
clear up tough reversal problems:
Method 1: Use tactile surfaces
Method 2: Use “air writing”
Method 3: Use analogies
Method 4: Draw attention to mouth shape
You may only need to use one of these methods, but for really resistant
cases, you will need to use all four methods.

This report includes demonstrations for correcting b and d reversals (the most
common letter reversals), but the same concepts can be applied to any letter or
number.
Please note that it’s important to concentrate on just one letter per session. Wait
until that letter is completely mastered before teaching another letter.

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 5

 3 Use Tactile Surfaces

Our first method for correcting letter reversals is to use tactile surfaces.
Have a variety of textured surfaces for your child to choose from. Possibilities
include flannel fabric, corrugated cardboard, very fine sandpaper, fluffy fur
fabric, or a carpet square. Ask him which surface reminds him of the letter
b, and then cut a large lowercase b out of the chosen tactile surface.

Using the pointer finger of his dominant hand, have your child trace the
letter b on the textured surface. Be sure that he starts and ends in the
correct place. Practice until he can easily write the letter b.
When your child is ready to go on to a new letter, choose a different
textured surface. If fine sandpaper was used for the letter b, perhaps
furry fabric can be used for the letter d.

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 6

 4 Air Writing

The second method we use for correcting reversals is “air writing.”

Air writing is simple: using the
dominant hand, the child uses
his entire arm to write letters in
the air as he says the sound of
the letter. The whole arm should
be involved, and the child should
pretend that his pointer finger is
a pen.
Here, Jimmy demonstrates how to
use air writing to form the letter b.
Notice that his entire arm is
involved in order to activate large
muscles. He is pretending that his
pointer finger is a pen. While he
forms the letter b, he is saying the
sound of the letter, /b/.
Brain research shows that two
ideas practiced at the same
time can permanently bond the ideas together. In this case, the large
movements of the arm combined with saying the sound of the letter will
help link these two concepts together in your child’s brain. Additionally,
this multisensory activity takes advantage of the fact that the muscles
in the shoulder and in the jaw have muscle memory, and this makes it
easier for your child to recall the shape and sound of the letter.

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 7

 5 Use Analogies

Our third method for preventing letter confusion involves the use of
analogies. Explain that the letter b is made up of two shapes: a bat and
a ball. Using the tactile surface, demonstrate how you write the bat
part of the letter first, followed by the ball.
As you write the letter b, say “bat-ball-/b/,” like this:

“bat” “ball” “/b/”

To further clarify which side of the letter the straight line is on, tell your
student, First you grab the bat, then you hit the ball.
Have your student practice this motion and chant many times over a
two-minute time period. Repeat the exercise several times a day.
Show your student that when you read from left to right, you encounter
the bat part of the letter first. If he is ever unsure of the sound this letter
makes when he sees it, he should think to himself, “bat-ball-/b/.” This
will help him recall the sound of the letter b.
To teach the letter d, you can use the analogy of a doorknob and a
door. The doorknob represents the circle part of the letter, and the door
represents the straight line, like this:

“doorknob” “door” “/d/”

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 8

 To clarify which side of the letter the straight line is on, tell your
student, First you grab the doorknob, then you open the door.
Again, practice the motion and chant many times over a two-minute
period. Repeat the exercise several times a day.
Show your student that when you read from left to right, you encounter
the doorknob part of the letter first. If he is ever unsure of the sound this
letter makes when he sees it, he should think to himself, “doorknob-door-
/d/.” He will now be able to recall the sound of the letter d.
A bed is another common analogy to help with b and d. Though this
analogy may help some kids, for others it may require more thought, and
for many kids it may not become automatic.

Form circles with your

thumbs and pointer fingers
and makes b and d
with your hands

The letter b … and the letter

forms the d forms the
head of the foot of the
bed and bed and
makes the makes the
first sound last sound
in the word in the word
bed … bed.

Please see pages 12 and 13 of this report for free printable graphics to help with
b-d letter reversals. Simply print pages 12 and 13 (landscape orientation) and
display the full-page graphics in a convenient location.

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 9

 X

Y
6 Draw Attention to Mouth Shape

Our fourth method involves drawing attention to the shape our

mouths make when forming specific letters.
For example, when we say /b/, our
lips come together in a straight line.
Point out that the straight line comes
first when you write the letter b.

When we say /d/, our lips are open.

Coincidentally, the circle comes first
when you write letter d.

If your child misreads a b as a d, refer back to the tactile surface activity and air
writing that you did together. Point to the misread letter and say, If you wrote
this letter, what would this letter say?
If your child can’t answer easily, ask him or her to draw the letter b using air
writing. The sound of the letter (/b/ - bat) should come more easily this way.
Then have your child read the word again.

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 10

 Where to Go from Here

By reading this report, you’ve gained a new understanding of four

methods you can use to solve letter reversals.
Although some of the principles in this report may sound complex, the
All About Reading and All About Spelling programs break them down
into bite-sized lessons that are both easy for you to teach and easy for
your student to learn.
While I originally developed All About Reading and All About Spelling for
my own child who had a hard time learning to read and spell, they’ve
gone on to help over 150,000 children master reading and spelling—
even those who were previously diagnosed with a learning disorder.
You can find some of their stories here.*
I encourage you to go to my website to learn more about All About
Reading and All About Spelling. Feel free to check out any of our articles,
videos, free apps, and free downloads.
If you have any questions at all, please call us at 715-477-1976, or email
us at support@allaboutlearningpress.com. My staff and I are extremely
passionate about helping children read and spell, and we would love to
help you.

Marie Rippel
Founder, All About® Learning Press, Inc.
*http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/testimonials

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 11

 “/b/”
Analogy for Teaching the Lowercase B

“ball”
“bat”

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 12

 “/d/”
Analogy for Teaching the Lowercase D

“door”
“doorknob”

How to Solve Letter Reversals © 2015 by All About®Learning Press, Inc. 13