This study aims to explore the relations of phonological awareness and rapid naming with efficient word reading. Our work builds on the strong evidence base of associations between phonological awareness, rapid naming, orthographic knowledge, and efficient word reading. Specifically, we tested a pathway linking phonological awareness to orthographic knowledge and on to efficient word reading and a pathway linking rapid naming to orthographic knowledge and on to efficient word reading, following on the self-teaching (Share in Cognition 55(2):151-218, 1995. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(94)00645-2) and rapid naming hypotheses (Wolf & Bowers in J Educ Psychol 91(3):415-438, 1999. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.91.3.415), respectively. Based on these two classic theories of orthographic development, we conducted a multiple-path analysis to test the mediating role of orthographic knowledge in the relation of phonological awareness and rapid naming with efficient word reading. The sample consisted of 231 monolingual Greek-speaking children; 121 (58 males) Grade 2 children (M age = 7.82 years, SD = 3.32) and 110 (51 males) Grade 5 children (M age = 10.84, years, SD = 3.54) participated in the study. After establishing the significant contribution of orthographic knowledge to efficient word reading, we found two direct pathways: one from phonological awareness in Grade 5 and one from rapid naming in Grades 2 and 5 and two indirect pathways in which phonological awareness and rapid naming contribute to efficient word reading via orthographic knowledge in both Grades. Then, we assessed whether there is a shift over one of the two theories over time, using a multi-group analysis with data from Grades 2 and 5. Indeed, we found differences between two Grades in pathways from sub-lexical orthographic knowledge to efficient word reading, from phonological awareness and rapid naming to efficient word reading, and from rapid naming to sub-lexical orthographic knowledge. Our findings revealed that both pathways, representing the main self-teaching and rapid naming hypotheses, are active and work in both Grades, reflecting the parallel support of the two classic theories of orthographic knowledge development.