The question of whether the Black English dialect affects the spelling performance of children who speak Black English is explored in this paper. Evidence is cited from existing research to show that Black English speakers make significantly more dialect-related errors than do non-Black English speakers. The various Black English features which may cause dialect-related spelling errors are discussed, predicted misspellings are noted, and new homophone sets created by Black English pronunication are described. Finally, suggestions for empirical research and questions to be explored in relation to dialect and the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) rule-based spelling program are posed. Appendixes include an outline of Mexican-American dialects and spelling and an explanation of symbols used in the paper. (JM)