Which term involves understanding that words are made up of smaller sounds like syllables and phonemes?

Phonological sensitivity is a broad term that refers to the awareness of the sound structure of language. It encompasses the ability to recognize and manipulate various sound units, including both larger units like syllables and smaller units like phonemes. Recognizing that words consist of smaller sound parts, such as distinguishing the number of syllables in a word or identifying the individual phonemes, is central to phonological sensitivity.

However, it's important to appreciate that while phonological sensitivity includes understanding syllables, phonemic awareness specifically focuses on the smallest units of sound—phonemes—and the ability to manipulate these sounds in spoken language. Therefore, phonemic awareness is a more precise term when specifically addressing the understanding of sounds in words at the phoneme level. It is crucial to distinguish between these related terms as they address different aspects of sound awareness in language development.