What is orthographic mapping?

• A. The process by which individuals learn to recognize and store the visual representations of words in long-term memory, forming connections between the visual form of a word and its spoken form through repeated exposure.
• B. A method for teaching cursive writing.
• C. The process of letter-sound correspondence in decoding.
• D. The study of word origins.

Answer: (A)

Orthographic mapping is the process by which readers learn to recognize and store the visual representations of words in long-term memory, forming connections between how a word looks and how it sounds through repeated exposure. When a reader sees a word many times and knows its pronunciation, a memory trace is created that links the visual form with its phonology, so the word can be retrieved quickly in the future. This fast retrieval supports fluent reading and a growing sight-word vocabulary.

This concept goes beyond just decoding—it's about building durable memory representations for whole words, not merely mapping letters to sounds each time. It’s not about cursive writing or word origins.