phonemic awareness

noun

education

: the ability to recognize and isolate the individual sounds in words : perception of the phonemes within words

The new curriculum teaches young children how to break down words by their sounds and then put them back together, also known as phonemic awareness.

—Kristian Moravec

It develops phonemic awareness, the ability to hear individual sounds, which is a key indicator of future reading success. If a student cannot hear sounds, they cannot match them to letters, making spelling and decoding a struggle.

—Katie McGinn

compare phonological awareness

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above