In which phase of word learning do children learn to associate sounds with alphabet letters?

In the Partial Alphabetic phase of word learning, children begin to make connections between the sounds they hear in spoken words and the letters of the alphabet. During this stage, they typically use some phonological awareness to recognize certain letters and sounds but do not yet have a complete understanding of all the sounds of the letters. They might remember a few letter-sound correspondences, which aids in their ability to decode simple words.

This phase serves as a bridge to more advanced stages of reading development, where children will eventually learn to understand the full relationship between letters and sounds. It is crucial for early reading development, paving the way for stronger decoding skills as they progress in their literacy education. Recognizing only part of the alphabetic principle—hence the term "partial"—children may still rely on context and memory for reading, but they are beginning to implement letter-sound associations for more effective word recognition.