What ability involves recognizing and segmenting sounds in words?

The ability that involves recognizing and segmenting sounds in words is known as phonemic awareness. This skill is fundamental to reading and literacy development because it refers specifically to the awareness of the individual phonemes, or sounds, that make up words. Phonemic awareness helps students understand that words are composed of smaller sound units, which enables them to decode and spell words effectively.

For example, when a child recognizes that the word "cat" consists of three distinct sounds /k/, /æ/, and /t/, they are demonstrating phonemic awareness. This skill is distinct from other language abilities, such as expressive language, which refers to the production of language, and receptive language, which involves understanding the language spoken by others. Additionally, alphabet knowledge pertains to recognizing and naming letters, rather than the sound segmentation aspect involved in phonemic awareness. Thus, phonemic awareness is a crucial component of early literacy that lays the groundwork for successful reading and writing skills.