Phoneme blending is essential for which of the following literacy strategies?

Phoneme blending is crucial for word recognition because it involves the ability to combine individual sounds (phonemes) to form words. This skill allows learners to decode unfamiliar words by blending the sounds together, facilitating their ability to recognize and read those words fluently. When learners identify and manipulate phonemes effectively, they can decode words, which is a fundamental aspect of reading proficiency.

In contrast, while the other options—reading aloud, spelling, and vocabulary development—are important literacy strategies, they do not rely as heavily on the specific skill of phoneme blending. Reading aloud may involve fluency and expression but doesn’t necessarily require the blending of phonemes in real time. Spelling involves the representation of sounds as letters but focuses more on the accuracy of writing than blending sounds to form words. Vocabulary development is about understanding word meanings and context, which is more about comprehension and usage rather than the initial recognition of words through phoneme blending.