Decoding is the strategy to make sense of printed words and pronounce them correctly. Which option best describes decoding?

Decoding is the strategy to make sense of printed words and pronounce them correctly. Which option best describes decoding?

• A. The strategy to map letters to sounds to pronounce words.
• B. Creating new words from scratch.
• C. Guessed word approach without letter knowledge.
• D. A technique used only in advanced reading.

Answer: (A)

Decoding is the ability to map letters to their sounds and blend those sounds to pronounce a word. This foundational skill lets a reader sound out unfamiliar words by using letter-sound relationships, so the description that best fits decoding is about linking letters to sounds to say the word aloud. Creating new words from scratch isn’t about reading text; it doesn’t involve decoding. A guessed-word approach without letter knowledge relies on context or memory rather than sounding out letters, so it doesn’t describe decoding. And decoding isn’t something only used in advanced reading; it’s taught early and used at all levels.

Decoding is the ability to map letters to their sounds and blend those sounds to pronounce a word. This foundational skill lets a reader sound out unfamiliar words by using letter-sound relationships, so the description that best fits decoding is about linking letters to sounds to say the word aloud. Creating new words from scratch isn’t about reading text; it doesn’t involve decoding. A guessed-word approach without letter knowledge relies on context or memory rather than sounding out letters, so it doesn’t describe decoding. And decoding isn’t something only used in advanced reading; it’s taught early and used at all levels.