Summary.Using visual and auditory memory sequencing tests with 140 children aged 8–10, this study aimed to investigate the commonly held assumption that visual and auditory memory are important component functions in children's spelling. From this sample three sub‐groups were derived. The first (18 children) consisted of those whose scores were higher on the visual memory than on the auditory memory test by 1 sd or more. The second (22) were those whose scores differed by 1 sd or more in the reverse direction, whilst the third group (21) had test scores which differed by less than ·16 sd. The three sub‐groups were then given the Schonell Spelling Test of Irregular Words IA and an English Picture Vocabulary Test. No significant differences were found in the groups’ mean spelling scores, but there were differences in the proportions of certain error types. The implications of these findings for the role of visual and auditory memory in spelling achievement are d