Word decoding is the process of discovering the meaning of a word from its individual letters. Phonics is the study of the sounds that make up words. Together, these two concepts form the foundation of word decoding.
Decoding a word begins with the basic building blocks of language – the letters. Each letter has a specific sound that makes up the word. When decoding a word, you must work backward from the end of the word to find the beginning.
Phonics is important because it helps you understand the letter sounds that make up words. When you learn how to read, you develop a strong phonemic awareness. This means you are able to identify the sound a letter makes, even if you cannot see it. This is important because the letter sounds are at the heart of word decoding.
Once you know the letter sounds, you can start to decode words. Decoding a word involves breaking it down into its individual letters. Once you know the sound of each letter, you can start to put them back together to form the word.
Although decoding a word is a simple process, it can be difficult without phonemic awareness. Phonics helps you build this awareness so you can decode words easily. Once you have learned how to decode words, you will be able to read anything you come across.
