What does phonemic awareness refer to?

Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds, or phonemes, in spoken words. This skill is crucial for developing reading abilities, as it enables learners to understand that words are made up of distinct sounds. By being able to isolate, blend, segment, or delete sounds within words, students can better decode written text and improve their overall reading fluency and comprehension.

For example, if a child can hear the sounds in the word "cat" and can manipulate them to create "tack" by changing the initial sound, it demonstrates their phonemic awareness. This foundational skill is essential in early literacy development and a critical precursor to successful reading instruction.