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What is Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic awareness (PA) is the ability to identify, hear, and manipulate the smallest sounds of the language, which are referred to as “phonemes”.
These individual sounds, when put together in a string, form words.
For instance, the word ‘mat’ is the combination of the following three phonemes /m/ /a/ /t/.
A person who is highly-skilled in PA is able to:
- Recognize and isolate the individual sounds in words (segment)
- Blend a set of given phonemes to form words (blending)
- Add/delete phonemes from words to form new words (manipulation)
Why is Phonemic Awareness so important?
In the last few decades, there have been numerous ground-breaking scientific studies that have shown the importance of Phonemic Awareness in literacy. Phonemic awareness has been found to be the #1 predictor for future successful reading and of reading difficulty.
For instance, take a look at this extract from the meta-analysis of 1960 different studies from the National Reading Panel.
“[PA]… It improves their ability to manipulate phonemes in speech. This skill transfers and helps them learn to read and spell. PA training benefits not only word reading but also reading comprehension. PA training contributes to children’s ability to read and spell for months, if not years, after the training has ended. Effects of PA training are enhanced when children are taught how to apply PA skills to reading and writing tasks” (National Reading Panel Report, an Evidence-based assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction, 2000).
Other studies:
“The best predictor of reading difficulty in kindergarten or first grade is the inability to segment words and syllables into constituent sound units (phonemic awareness)” (Lyon, G. R., 1995. Toward a definition of dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia, 45, 3–27).
“The ability to hear and manipulate phonemes plays a causal role in the acquisition of beginning reading skills” (Smith, Simmons, & Kame’enui, 1998).
Main takeaways about Phonemic Awareness
- PA is a foundational skill in learning to read.
- The lack of PA is the best predictor of reading difficulty in kindergarten and first grade.
- PA training significantly improves reading and spelling abilities, but also has a beneficial impact on reading comprehension reading comprehension.
- The benefits are long-lasting, and go well beyond the training period.
If you want to learn even more about Phonemic Awareness, check out this other post.
Free PA Assessment Sample
Why assess Phonemic Awareness in struggling readers?
Unfortunately, many struggling readers lack serious Phonemic Awareness skills.
The causes behind the difficulties with PA these student present many can range from a simple lack in practice with phonemic awareness activities to phonological processing disorders.
It is worth mentioning that so PA becomes an automatic response, it has to be trained with purpose-driven activities to develop phonemic awareness, as the development of advanced PA skills does not happen naturally for most students.
Should we assess all students on Phonemic Awareness (PA)?
Ideally, yes. Phonemic Awareness should be assessed several times from the beginning of Kindergarten through First grade. In an idyllic scenario, Phonemic Awareness assessment should be given to all students three times, at the beginning of the year, at midpoint and at the end of school year. This allows identify children at risk of reading difficulty, and also check progress.
You can asses your child at home, if you suspect he/she is at risk, if you are homeschooling him/her, or if this type of assessment is not available at your kid’s school.
Below you’ll find examples of questions you can ask to assess PA. The assessment should be done one-on-one.
To download this PA Assessment Sample in pdf format, click here!
| Skill | Instructions | Sample questions | Correct/Incorrect Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolating words | Ask the student to isolate one of the two words that form a compound word. | Say “football” without saying “foot” Say “popcorn” without saying “corn” Say “meatball” without saying “ball” | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Isolating syllables | Ask the student to isolate one syllable in a two-syllable word | Say “picnic” without saying “nic” Say “burger” without saying “bur” Say “cactus” without saying “cac” | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Recognizing Rhymes | Ask the student to identify whether the two words rhyme (have the same ending sound) or not. | Cat - Hat Sun – Moon Dog – Frog Cake - Ball | [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Initial Sound Recognition/ Isolation | Ask the student to identify the beginning sound of each word. Say the words slowly, stressing each individual sound. | What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word "cat"? What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word "dog"? What sound do you hear at the beginning of "sun"? | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Phoneme matching | Which words start with the same sound? | Sam, sat, pop mouse, moon, sun log, lap, rat | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Final sound recognition/isolation | What is the last sound in these words? | What is the last sound you hear in “sat”? What is the last sound you hear in “chip”? What is the last sound you hear in “dog”? | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Blending sounds | Ask the student to break a word into its individual sounds. | What sounds do you hear in the word "pig"? (e.g., p - i - g) What sounds do you hear in the word "run"? (e.g., r - u - n) What sounds do you hear in the word "fish"? (e.g., f - i - sh) | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Phoneme Deletion (Initial sound) | Ask the student to say a word after removing the initial sound. | Say "cat" without the /k/ sound. What word do you have? Say "fox" without the /f/ sound. What word do you have? Say "clap" without the /k/ sound. What word do you have? | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Phoneme Deletion (last sound) | Ask the student to say a word after removing the initial sound. | Say “rain” without the /n/ sound. What word do you get? Say “moon” without the /n/ sound. What do you get? Is it a word? Say “pet” without the /t/ sound. What do you get? | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
| Phoneme substitution | Ask the student to swap one of the sounds in a word with another one. | Say “log.” Change the /l/ sound in “log” to an /f/ sound. Say “hop.” Change the /h/ sound to a /k/ sound Say “chip”. Change the /ch/ sound for the /sh/ sound. | [ ] [ ] [ ] |
What to expect?
- Basic phonological awareness skills, including rhyming and word/syllable isolation (kindergarten)
- Initial phoneme matching and initial sound recognition (towards middle of kindergarten)
- Final sound recognition/isolation (end of kindergarten – early first grade)
- Blending phonemes (end of kindergarten or beginning of first grade)
- Phoneme segmentation (first grade)
- Phoneme manipulation: deletion, substitution (first grade)
Further resources and Alternative Phonemic Awareness Assessments
This is an informal assessment.
It can help you detect issues with PA awareness, pinpoint which PA skills your child/student lacks of, track progress.
For alternative PA tests, take a look at these:
- https://thepasttest.com/ This is the test in the book “Equipped for Reading Success” by David A. Kilpatrick. Refer to chapter 11 of the book to learn how to use the test.
- Yopp Singer Test – This is a test on phoneme segmenting.
- Test of Auditory Analysis Skills
Paid PA assessments:
- TOPA TEST 2nd edition
- The Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test, Third Edition (LAC-3)
- PIPA (UK and Australia specific)
For even more information about Phonemic Awareness, don’t forget to check out our Phonemic Awareness guide.
Hey there! I’m Laura – an author, YouTuber, blogger, and the creator of the “Learning Reading Hub” platform. I created this space to dive into the world of reading instruction and to shout from the rooftops about how vital it is to use the right methods for teaching reading. I’ve got a TEYL certification (Teaching English to Young Learners), plus a Journalism degree from the University of Navarra in Spain, along with a Master’s Degree in Communication.
I’ve always loved digging into research, jotting down my thoughts, connecting with people, and sharing what makes me tick. With a background in marketing, digital projects, and the education scene (especially language learning), I’m all about wearing different hats.
When my first kid needed to learn how to read, it opened my eyes to the challenges and complexities involved. This journey took me through a rollercoaster of self-teaching, eye-opening discoveries, and yeah, some letdowns too. There’s so much conflicting info out there, along with methods that just don’t cut it. And let’s face it, these issues are way too common.
Now, I’m all about channeling that passion (without sounding like a know-it-all!) and sharing my journey. My mission? Making it easier for those who are on the same path I once was.
My heart’s with my family and the amazing Learning Reading Hub project. I live with my husband and two little ones, raising them in a bi-lingual environment (English and Spanish).
