Why Dyslexia Can Make Learning English Extra Challenging—for Your Child and for You

Understanding Why English Feels So Hard for Your Dyslexic Child

You're sitting across from your child at the kitchen table. Again. That stack of English homework feels like a mountain neither of you wants to climb. The tears come easily—sometimes theirs, sometimes yours. You want to help, but you're also wondering: why does English feel so much harder than other subjects?

If your child has dyslexia, you're not imagining things. English, with all its strange rules and even stranger exceptions, can be an especially tough language for dyslexic learners. You're not alone in this struggle—and neither is your child.

Why English Is Especially Tricky for Kids with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is not about intelligence. It's about how the brain processes language. For many children with dyslexia, reading in their native language is already a challenge. So when they're asked to master a second language—especially English, which is full of irregular spellings and unpredictable pronunciations—it can feel overwhelming.

Unlike more phonetic languages like Spanish or Italian, English often breaks its own rules. Take words like "though," "thought," and "through"—they look related but sound completely different. The inconsistency confuses even fluent readers, but for a dyslexic child, those inconsistencies can crush confidence and create long-lasting anxiety around learning.

This emotional impact of repeatedly "failing"—despite hard effort—can create resistance that goes beyond just academic difficulty. It can erode self-esteem, especially when peers seem to advance more easily.

When Letters and Sounds Don’t Stick

In typical language learning, children decode a new word, sound it out, and start building associations. But for a child with dyslexia, the link between letters and sounds isn’t solid to begin with. That adds another layer of confusion when those letters now carry different sounds in English.

Imagine trying to navigate a city where street signs keep changing, even though the streets remain the same. That’s what a dyslexic learner can feel like when they study English. 'A' doesn’t always sound like 'A'; sometimes it sounds like 'uh,' other times like 'ae,' and often, it just doesn’t make sense.

This lack of predictability makes decoding—already a slow, effortful task—even more draining. Memory plays a big role too: dyslexic learners tend to rely more on memory than decoding strategies. So when dozens of English spelling patterns break their trust, those patterns don’t stick.

Helping Without Hovering: What You Can Actually Do As a Parent

The natural instinct is to sit down and go over the homework together—again and again. But if that approach mostly ends in tears, there are other, gentler ways to help your child learn without making both of you miserable.

One powerful strategy is to diversify how language is presented. If reading is tough, try transforming text into sound. When your child hears the lesson instead of having to decode every word on a page, they can engage more naturally with the content. Some learning tools—even simple voice recordings or screen readers—can reduce the cognitive load by simplifying how new information is processed.

Apps like Skuli (available on iOS and Android) offer features that make lessons come alive in a more supportive format. For example, they can turn a written English lesson into a personalized audio adventure where your child becomes part of the story. When a child hears their own name woven into an exciting mission that uses English vocabulary in context, suddenly learning isn't about stress—it's about engagement.

Words Aren’t Just Academic—They’re Emotional

Never underestimate how your child feels when confronted with English. If they’re already managing emotional exhaustion from grappling with dyslexia in their daily schooling, adding a second language can push them toward frustration or withdrawal. That emotional fatigue can look like laziness, but it's really self-protection.

Start by creating a safe space at home to talk openly about those frustrations. Acknowledge that English is hard for them—and that it's okay to feel overwhelmed. If you're unsure how to have that conversation without damaging their confidence, this guide on talking about dyslexia can offer a gentle approach.

Finding Paths That Work—Not Just Pushing Harder

Sometimes, learning differently means learning better. Your child might never breeze through English spelling tests—but they might be brilliant in other areas of language, like comprehension, storytelling, or even speaking. Visual aids, audio input, and kinesthetic learning can all play a supportive role.

You don’t need to become a teacher or speech-language pathologist overnight. Even something as simple as using an app to turn a photo of a lesson into a review quiz can help your child access information in different ways. If you're wondering how to support your child’s learning journey without professional intervention, this article might help clarify what’s possible from home.

The Hope in Slow Progress

There’s no perfect shortcut for helping your child master English if they have dyslexia. But there are pathways—gentler, more respectful ones—that honor who they are as learners. And you don’t need to do it alone.

Sometimes, just knowing that learning can happen in other ways—through audio storytelling, playful quizzes, or repeated listening on a car ride—can make all the difference in how your child approaches English.

If you're just beginning this journey with your child or want to understand the early signals you may have missed, take a breath and explore the early signs of dyslexia in a safe, non-judgmental way. And if your child is already deep in the trenches, you’re still in time to make learning feel safer, softer, and ultimately more possible.

Because yes, English is hard. But with compassion, creativity, and just the right tools, your dyslexic learner can find their own unique way through it.