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Research studies regarding the effects of auditory processing on spelling ability have often been contradictory. While indications that linguistic auditory processing affects spelling ability have been strong, researchers have disagreed in terms of whether nonlinguistic auditory processing affects spelling. It has also been a common assumption that nonlinguistic auditory processing forms the basis for linguistic auditory processing. In this study, Grade 2 students, Grade 4 students, and adults completed tasks measuring nonlinguistic auditory processing, linguistic auditory processing, spelling strategy choice, and spelling ability. Correlations between nonlinguistic and linguistic auditory processing were tenuous and inconsistent, suggesting that nonlinguistic auditory processing forms, at best, a partial foundation for linguistic auditory processing. Nonlinguistic auditory processing was not consistently related to measures of spelling ability. Linguistic auditory processing was correlated to measures of spelling ability for Grade 2 students and adults, but only for individuals who depended more heavily on phonological strategies for spelling unfamiliar words. The difference between Grade 4 students and the other age groups was unexpected, but may be partially explained by their higher performance on tests of linguistic auditory processing. The results of this study suggest strategy choice as both an independent influence on spelling ability, and a mediator of the effects of linguistic auditory processing on spelling ability. Possible future directions for this line of research include fine-tuning of screening procedures for less accurate linguistic auditory processing and development of intervention programs for at-risk spellers.