Which component of reading involves the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken words?

Phonemic awareness is the specific skill set that encompasses the ability to recognize, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds, or phonemes, within spoken words. This foundational aspect of reading instruction is critical because it helps children understand that words are made up of discrete sounds, which they can then segment and blend to form words.

Being proficient in phonemic awareness allows students to decode new words when reading and spelling, laying the groundwork for learning to read efficiently. This skill is essential for successful reading acquisition as it directly relates to phonics, whereby students learn the relationships between sounds and letters.

In contrast, fluency involves the ability to read text smoothly and at an appropriate rate, which relies on already developed decoding skills rather than the manipulation of sounds. Vocabulary pertains to the body of words that a student understands and uses effectively, while comprehension is the ability to understand and interpret written texts. Each of these components plays a role in reading but does not specifically address the manipulation of sounds, which is the hallmark of phonemic awareness.