What does deleting a phoneme involve?

Deleting a phoneme involves removing a specific sound from a word to observe how it alters or diminishes the word's structure. When a phoneme is deleted, you are left with a remaining word that no longer contains that particular sound. This process highlights the importance of phoneme manipulation in phonological awareness, as it helps children develop their understanding of how sounds function within words. For instance, if you take the word "sand" and delete the initial phoneme /s/, you are left with "and," which is indeed a valid remaining word. This analysis demonstrates the direct relationship between phonemes and word formation, enhancing literacy skills.