A unique characteristic of Dahl’s works is his use of nonsense words. These are words that Dahl invented, such as snozzcumber, gobblefunk, and whangdoodle. Dahl invented hundreds of these words throughout his lifetime, and children gobble them up. In addition to being engaging for students, nonsense words can actually aid in reading development.
Nonsense words are an effective way for teachers to assess how well a student is applying the skills presented in phonics instruction.
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These words challenge students to actively decode, or “sound out” letters, blends (bl, cr, tr, etc.), and digraphs (sh, ch, th, etc.) Many real words have become part of the student’s stock of sight words, meaning that they are simply memorized. This is especially the case for older school-age students. With nonsense words, however, the student must take their time and apply their knowledge of letter-sound relationships, as they are not readily familiar with the words. Often when students encounter a new word when reading, they may give up on dissecting it. Because nonsense words appeal to them so much, students are more motivated to keep at it and show what they really know.
Teachers can use nonsense words to informally assess their students. As the child decodes, take notes on what sounds and patterns they are struggling with.
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