This study investigated the effect of written language experience on spelling proficiency. Students in the second grade did story writing in a supportive environment which accepted their language when they wrote rather than imposed a criteria of correctness. The students were encouraged to use "functional," or "invented," spelling when they wrote. All the students' writing during the school year was collected in folders for a record of language growth and development, which included a profile of spelling development. Examination of the work of one student, revealed two indications of language growth in spelling. The first was an increase in words spelled conventionally; the second was a change in the type of functional spelling. His functional spellings revealed use of sound/symbol relationships, morphemic knowledge, and visual memory. As the student becomes more of a risk-taker and was more willing to experiment further with linguistic strategies in solving spelling problems, he was moving closer to convention in his spelling and was writing longer, more complex pieces. Findings suggest that children are active participants in the use of language and constantly generate hypotheses which serve their purpose for each occasion. Findings also suggest that if children are encouraged to work through spellings of unknown words, they become sensitive to conventional spellings when they encounter them in print. (Three tables of data are included; an appendix of functional spelling strategies is attached.) (KEH)