Why are decoding skills significant in reading?

Decoding skills are significant in reading because they enable readers to translate written text into spoken language, which is fundamental to understanding and comprehending the material. Decoding involves recognizing letters and letter combinations, understanding the sounds they represent, and blending these sounds to form words. As a reader decodes text, they move from recognizing symbols on a page to articulating those symbols, making meaning of them, and integrating that meaning into their existing knowledge. This skill is vital for fluent reading, as it not only facilitates the reading of words but also contributes to overall comprehension and the ability to engage with a text effectively.

In contrast, silent reading relies on prior decoding skills but doesn’t encompass the full significance of decoding. While reading speed is important, it is not the primary focus of decoding, and spelling and grammar, although related literacy skills, do not directly capture the core function of decoding in the reading process. Therefore, the ability to convert written text into spoken language highlights the essence of decoding as a crucial reading skill.