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Background: Word‐to‐text integration (WTI) can be challenging for second‐language (L2) learners, although it can positively contribute to reading comprehension. The present study examined the role of WTI, after controlling for decoding, vocabulary and morphosyntactic awareness, in predicting English as an L2 reading comprehension development in 441 Dutch seventh‐grade students. Methods: At the beginning (Time 1 [T1]) and the end (Time 2 [T2]) of the school year, students were tested on their English decoding, vocabulary, morphological and syntactic awareness and reading comprehension with paper‐and‐pencil tasks and on WTI with a self‐paced reading task with reading times being compared on passages with unknown versus known words and passages with and without anomalies. Results: Mediation analyses showed small indirect effects of processing argument overlap and anomalies on T2 reading comprehension, via T1 reading comprehension. Conclusions: WTI explained unique variance in reading comprehension at T2 via reading comprehension at T1, suggesting that it moderately impacts initial stages of reading comprehension in English as a second language (ESL). Highlights: What is already known about this topicWTI is important for reading comprehension but challenging for L2 learners.Lexical skills are also important for reading comprehension. What this paper addsNovice L2 learners can distinguish between passages with unknown and known words and with and without anomalies (WTI).These WTI skills have small effects on reading comprehension development. Implications for theory, policy or practiceWTI can provide unique insights into reading comprehension development of L2 learners.These insights can inform our understanding of why some students with sufficient lexical skills nevertheless show insufficient reading comprehension skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]