What process refers to children breaking a word into its separate sounds?

The process of children breaking a word into its separate sounds is known as phoneme segmenting. This skill involves identifying and isolating the individual sounds, or phonemes, that make up a word, which is a critical component of phonemic awareness. For example, in the word "cat," the child would recognize that it consists of three separate sounds: /k/, /a/, and /t/.

Phoneme segmenting is essential for developing reading and spelling skills, as it enables children to understand the relationship between sounds and letters. By mastering this skill, children can improve their ability to decode words when reading and encode them when writing. Understanding phoneme segmenting also lays the groundwork for more complex literacy skills, as children begin to manipulate sounds in various ways.