Which term describes the ability to manipulate sounds within words, such as deleting or adding phonemes?

The ability to manipulate sounds within words, including tasks such as deleting or adding phonemes, is accurately described by the term phonemic awareness. This skill involves recognizing and working with individual sounds, which are the smallest units of sound in spoken language. Phonemic awareness is a crucial component of reading development because it helps learners understand how sounds combine to form words and supports their ability to decode words when reading.

In contrast, phonological awareness refers to a broader set of skills that includes not only phonemic awareness but also the ability to recognize larger sound structures, such as syllables and rhymes. Oral language encompasses the overall ability to communicate using spoken words and does not specifically focus on sound manipulation. Decoding involves the process of translating written text into spoken words, which requires phonemic awareness but is a separate skill from manipulating the sounds themselves.