How does phoneme awareness primarily support reading development?

Phoneme awareness plays a crucial role in reading development by specifically helping learners develop the ability to manipulate sounds in words. This skill includes the ability to segment words into their individual phonemes, blend sounds together to form words, and manipulate sounds by adding, deleting, or substituting them. Mastery of these sound-related skills is foundational for decoding words and reading fluently.

When learners are adept at recognizing and manipulating phonemes, they can more easily apply this awareness to unfamiliar words when reading. This allows them to decode words more effectively, facilitating word recognition and boosting comprehension as they progress in their reading journey. As phoneme awareness develops, it lays the groundwork for further literacy skills and empowers students to approach reading with greater confidence and skill.