The present study examines the effect of activating the connection between meaning and phonology in spelling exercises in second-grade spellers (n=41; 8 years and 3 months). In computer-based exercises in a within-subject design, semantic and neutral descriptions were contrasted and provided either before the process of spelling or in feedback. Orthographic and phonological information was available in all practice conditions. The results indicate that words trained with semantic descriptions are better spelled than words trained with neutral descriptions, even when tested 1 month after a training period. No differential effects appear between descriptions that were presented before spelling or presented in feedback. The current study can be taken to suggest that activation of the semantic constituent is facilitative in acquiring a stable association between the phonological and the orthographic properties.