Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) Practice Exam

Which term is used to describe recognizing the common sound in different words?

1. Phoneme substitution

2. Phoneme identity

3. Phoneme blending

4. Phoneme segmentation

The correct answer is: Phoneme identity

The term that describes the ability to recognize the common sound in different words is phoneme identity. This skill involves identifying a particular phoneme that appears in multiple words, helping learners understand how sounds are consistent across different contexts. For instance, if students can identify the phoneme /k/ in "cat," "kite," and "car," they are demonstrating phoneme identity. This foundational skill is essential for literacy development, as it equips learners to decode and manipulate sounds in spoken language. Phoneme substitution refers to replacing one phoneme with another in a word, phoneme blending involves combining phonemes to form a word, and phoneme segmentation is breaking a word down into its individual sounds. While all these skills are important in phonemic awareness, they serve different functions from recognizing common sounds in words. Phoneme identity specifically targets the recognition of similarities across different words, solidifying the understanding of sound-letter relationships crucial for reading proficiency.