What term describes the ability to connect letters with sounds in forming words?

The correct answer is the Alphabetic Principle, which refers to the understanding that there is a systematic relationship between letters and sounds in written language. This principle is fundamental in reading development, as it provides the foundation for decoding words. When learners grasp the Alphabetic Principle, they can recognize that letters represent specific sounds, enabling them to construct words by blending these sounds together.

This concept is crucial for literacy acquisition, as it helps students understand how phonemes (the smallest units of sound in speech) correspond to graphemes (the letters or groups of letters representing these sounds). Mastery of the Alphabetic Principle lays the groundwork for more advanced reading skills, making it an essential focus for educators working with developing readers.

The other terms, while related to language and literacy, do not specifically address the connection of letters and sounds. Syntax pertains to the rules governing sentence structure, morphology deals with the formation and structure of words, often focusing on prefixes and suffixes, and semantics refers to the meaning of words and phrases in context. Each plays an important role in language development and understanding, but they do not encapsulate the letter-sound connection emphasized by the Alphabetic Principle.