The ability to blend phonemes in words orally has the greatest impact on which literacy skill?

The ability to blend phonemes in words orally is closely tied to phonetic decoding in print. When students can blend sounds together, they are better equipped to decode unfamiliar words. This foundational skill allows them to sound out words by recognizing individual phonemes and combining them to form whole words.

Phonetic decoding is essential for early readers as it enhances their ability to read fluently and accurately. When a student encounters a new or unfamiliar word, being able to blend the phonemes helps them pronounce and understand it, which is critical in the process of learning to read. This skill directly supports the decoding aspect of reading, making it the most impacted literacy skill by the blending of phonemes.

In contrast, while reading comprehension, writing fluency, and vocabulary retention are important literacy skills, they rely on a foundation of adequate decoding capability. If a student struggles to decode printed words, their ability to comprehend text, write fluently, and retain vocabulary will also be hindered. Therefore, the most direct impact of phoneme blending is on phonetic decoding in print.