What term refers to the awareness that sounds correspond to letters or letter blends?

The correct term that refers to the awareness that sounds correspond to letters or letter blends is the alphabetical principle. This concept emphasizes the understanding that specific letters and combinations of letters can represent individual sounds in spoken language. It serves as a foundation for reading and writing, allowing learners to decode words by recognizing the relationships between letters and sounds.

The alphabetical principle is crucial in early literacy development, as it helps students to make connections between written text and its corresponding spoken language. This understanding enables them to practice spelling, recognize patterns in words, and develop their reading skills comprehensively.

Syllabic awareness focuses on the recognition of syllables in words, while phonemic awareness deals more specifically with the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in words. Phonics involves the application of sound-letter relationships to decode words, but it assumes a certain level of awareness that letters correspond to sounds, which the alphabetical principle encapsulates.