Phases of Development in Learning to Read and Spell Words - By Linnea C. Ehri

Oct 15, 2026

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Explains how readers develop word recognition through four phases on the path to becoming joyful, confident readers. Describes approaches people use to read words, including sounding out letters, using analogy, predicting from context, and reading familiar words automatically by sight. Details the pre-alphabetic phase reliance on visual or context cues, the partial alphabetic phase focus on phonemes and grapheme-sound connections, and strategies for supporting children at home during each stage.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Phases of Development in Learning to Read and Spell Words

Reading words: sound, analogy, context, and sight recognition

Pre-Alphabetic Phase

Partial Alphabetic Phase

Full Alphabetic Phase

Phases of Development in Learning to Read and Spell Words By Linnea C. Ehri T here are several ways that people might read words. They can sound out and blend letters to decode words. They can read new words by analogy; for example, if they already know play and jump, they can read plump. They can use prior meanings in a sentence or text to predict words (and to confirm that words read in other ways fit the meaning of the text). Words that readers have read before and have stored in memory can be read automatically by sight. Readers can look at word spellingsand recognize the pronunciationsand meanings immediately without having to stop and decode, analogize, or predict words. This enables them to read text easily. The meanings of words just pop into their minds without any effort and enable them to focus on the meaning of the text. In elementary school, an important goal of reading instruction is to enable children to read most words automatically by sight so that they can focus on learning from and enjoying what they are reading. But becoming a strong reader takes several years. As a parent or caregiver, you need to know if your child is making good progress in learning to read. Along with many colleagues, I’ve been studying how children learn to read for more Linnea C. Ehri, a member of the Reading Hall of Fame and the National Reading Panel, has been researching how children learn to read and write since 1970. than 50 years. My research suggests that children move through four phases on their way to becoming joyful, confident readers.1 1. Pre-Alphabetic Phase During the pre-alphabetic phase, which is typical of three-and four-year-olds who have not yet begun reading instruction, children have little knowledge of how letters represent sounds, so they use visual or context cues to read (or guess) words. For example, they may use the golden arches rather than the letter M to read “McDonald’s.” They may know letters in their own names, but these are memorized rather than connected to the sounds in their names. Children’s spoken vocabularies grow during this phase, especially when adults read books to them. The more words they know, the easier it will be to build their reading-by-sight vocabularies later on. So, try reading to your child every day. It will become a fun time to snuggle up together—and you’ll be helping your child grow into a strong reader. 2. Partial Alphabetic Phase To move into the partial alphabetic phase, children need to learn letter shapes, names, and sounds. They also need to be taught how to detect the smallest sounds (which are called phonemes) in spoken words. For example, help has four phonemes (each letter makes a sound), and chick has three phonemes (because c and h are combined to make one sound and likewise c and k) . Typically, children in the partial alphabetic phase are in kindergarten or first grade; they know letter names and some letter sounds, but they have not received systematic instruction in how letters represent sounds. Older struggling readers may also be stuck in this phase and therefore need more instruction and practice. Distinguishing phonemes is hard because there are no breaks between them in spoken words. Instruction in how letters represent sounds—like ch making the first sound in chick—helps children distinguish phonemes in speech. Another instructional strategy that helps is analyzing the positions and movements of parts of the mouth to pronounce words. For example, to distinguish the three phonemes in mat, children can learn that first the lips are closed to say the sound /m/, then opened to say //, and then the tongue is lifted to the roof of the mouth to say /t/. Developing this awareness of phonemes enables readers to form connections between the sounds in words they pronounce and the letters used to spell those words—and that helps them store words in memory and get closer to reading automatically by sight. To read and write words in the

FAQs

What reading approaches do people use to decode words?

People may sound out and blend letters, use analogy to read new words, predict words from prior meanings in text, or read familiar words automatically by sight.

What characterizes the pre-alphabetic phase?

Children have little knowledge of how letters represent sounds and rely on visual or context cues, such as recognizing logos instead of decoding the letters.

What do children need to enter and succeed in the partial alphabetic phase?

They need to learn letter shapes, names, and sounds, and be taught to detect phonemes in spoken words, along with instruction that links sounds to letters for spelling and word recognition.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Jiven