Current Studies Reading words and nonwords study Much research in this area has been focused on how children learn to read simple, single- syllable words, but less is known about how they cope with multi-syllabic words which leaves an important gap to be filled. The present study will look across development in the grades of second, fifth, and ninth, as well as college students, to see how individuals of varying reading skills tackle these more complex words. We then plan to use this information to increase our knowledge on the development of reading skills and potentially improve the instruction of reading.