Which statement best describes encoding supports reading?

Which statement best describes encoding supports reading?

• A. Reading comprehension only
• B. Naming sight words without decoding
• C. Memorizing stories
• D. Connecting sounds to letters, enabling encoding

Answer: (D)

Encoding is about turning spoken language into written form. When a learner can connect a specific sound to its letter or letter pattern, they can represent words in writing and, just as importantly, apply that same sound–letter knowledge to read new words. That phoneme–grapheme understanding is what makes decoding effective, and decoding is how we access meaning in text. So describing encoding as the practice of linking sounds to letters to enable writing supports reading because this knowledge directly underpins how readers break down and recognize words. Other options miss the point because they focus on understanding text after decoding, recognizing words by sight without phoneme–letter mappings, or simply remembering stories without developing the sound-to-letter connections that make decoding—and thus reading—possible.

Encoding is about turning spoken language into written form. When a learner can connect a specific sound to its letter or letter pattern, they can represent words in writing and, just as importantly, apply that same sound–letter knowledge to read new words. That phoneme–grapheme understanding is what makes decoding effective, and decoding is how we access meaning in text. So describing encoding as the practice of linking sounds to letters to enable writing supports reading because this knowledge directly underpins how readers break down and recognize words.

Other options miss the point because they focus on understanding text after decoding, recognizing words by sight without phoneme–letter mappings, or simply remembering stories without developing the sound-to-letter connections that make decoding—and thus reading—possible.