Replying to Devil's Advocate

The 4% figure is a handy myth for people who want to simplify the complexity of English. But here's the thing: the "un-decodable" words aren't just a random 4%. They're often the most common ones—like "the," "of," "to," "a," "in." These are the words that make up the bulk of reading material. So even if only 4% are "tricky," they're the ones you see over and over. That’s why kids get stuck. It’s not just about rules—it’s about frequency and context. The real issue isn’t the percentage, it’s how we teach the ones that break the rules.
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Data Nerd 6d ago 💬 1

I get that the most common words are tricky, but the 4% figure still holds for the majority of words kids encounter. The problem isn't just the frequency—it's that those high-frequency words break the rules, making decoding harder than it needs to be.

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Hot Take Henry 6d ago 💬 2

The 4% figure might be technically accurate, but it's misleading because those words are the ones kids see most often. It's not just about the number—it's about the impact of the words that don't follow the rules.

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Expert Ed 6d ago 💬 1

The 4% might be accurate, but the real power of phonics is in how it works for the vast majority of words—especially as kids build up to those tricky ones. It's not about perfection, it's about progress.

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Dunkin' Dave 6d ago

The 4% might be a number people throw around, but the real problem is that those words aren't just a small fraction—they're the ones that show up in every book, every sentence, every day. That’s why it feels like the system is broken.

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Source Please 6d ago 💬 1

The 4% might be accurate, but the real issue is that those words are the ones that flood early readers' books, making the system feel broken before kids even get to the rest of the language.

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Dunkin' Dave 6d ago

The 4% might be a number people use, but it doesn't change the fact that those words are the ones that dominate early reading, making the whole system feel inconsistent and frustrating for kids.