Phonics is defined as

• A. The understanding that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken words.
• B. The sounds that letters make and the letters that are used to represent sounds.
• C. The ability to read words quickly without decoding.
• D. The rules for punctuation in printed text.

Answer: (B)

Phonics focuses on how the sounds of spoken language map to the letters and letter patterns used in written language. It’s about decoding by using the sound-symbol relationships you’ve learned, so you can pronounce unfamiliar words by sounding them out. For example, knowing that the letter combination “sh” represents the /ʃ/ sound, or that “igh” often stands for the long /i/ sound, helps you translate printed words into spoken words. The best description among the options is the one that states the sounds that letters make and the letters that are used to represent those sounds, because it captures both sides of the sound–symbol relationship that phonics teaches. The other options describe related reading skills or mechanics that aren’t what phonics specifically defines—fluency involves reading quickly without decoding, and punctuation rules deal with print conventions rather than sound-letter correspondences.