What is phoneme segmentation?

Phoneme segmentation refers to the skill of recognizing and identifying the individual sounds, or phonemes, that make up a word. This is a critical component of phonological awareness and is essential for reading development. When a child can segment a word into its distinct sounds, they gain a better understanding of how those sounds correspond to letters and letter combinations, which ultimately aids in decoding and spelling.

For example, if a child is able to break down the word "cat" into the sounds /k/, /æ/, and /t/, they demonstrate phoneme segmentation. This ability helps children in learning to read, as it enables them to connect sounds with their corresponding letters, which is crucial for reading and writing effectively.