Which of the following words is recognized instantly without additional decoding?

The correct answer highlights the concept of sight words, which are words that readers can recognize instantly without needing to use phonetic decoding strategies. Sight words often include commonly used words that do not always follow standard phonetic patterns, making them challenging to sound out. Examples of sight words include "the," "and," "is," and "to." Recognizing these words instantly is crucial for fluent reading, as it allows readers to focus on comprehension rather than the mechanics of decoding each individual word.

Vocabulary words, on the other hand, refer to a broader set of words that a person knows and understands. While these words may be part of a reader's language skills, they do not necessarily imply instant recognition without decoding. Phonics words are typically those that adhere to phonetic rules and often require readers to sound them out, so they do not fit the criterion of being recognized instantly. Contextual words are those that may depend on the surrounding text for meaning, and like vocabulary words, they may not be recognized instantly without some level of decoding.