Which knowledge pertains to understanding how letters combine to form sounds?

The correct answer is based on the concept of how letters and sounds interact in written language, which is central to reading and spelling. Graphophonemic knowledge refers specifically to the understanding of the relationship between written letters and their corresponding sounds. This skill allows individuals to decode words by recognizing how the graphemes (letters and letter combinations) represent phonemes (sounds) in spoken language.

For example, someone with strong graphophonemic knowledge can decode the word "cat" by identifying that the letter "c" represents the /k/ sound, "a" represents the /æ/ sound, and "t" represents the /t/ sound, thus combining them to read the word correctly. This foundational skill is critical for developing reading fluency and proficiency.

In contrast, syllabic knowledge is more focused on patterns of syllables in words, phonetic knowledge pertains to the sounds of speech and how they form larger units, and lexical knowledge involves the understanding of words and their meanings. These areas, while important, do not specifically address the direct relationship between letters and the sounds they represent in the same way that graphophonemic knowledge does.