What is letter-sound correspondence?

• A. The relationship between written letters and their associated spoken sounds, essential for decoding
• B. The relationship between words and their meanings
• C. The relationship between punctuation and pauses
• D. The relationship between handwriting and letter shapes

Answer: (A)

Letter-sound correspondence is the link between the written letters we see and the spoken sounds they represent. This mapping lets a reader translate a printed word into its sounds and blend those sounds to read it aloud, which is decoding. It’s the foundation of phonics instruction, helping learners know which sounds go with which letters or letter patterns, so they can read unfamiliar words.

The other ideas describe different aspects of language: linking words to meanings is about vocabulary and semantics, punctuation and pauses relate to rhythm and phrasing in reading, and handwriting and letter shapes focus on how letters look rather than the sounds they make.