Encoding, in the context of reading development, refers to:

Encoding, in the context of reading development, refers to:

• A. Recognizing a word by sight
• B. Understanding word meanings from context
• C. Hearing a word and spelling it.
• D. Sounding out letters to form a word

Answer: (C)

Encoding is turning spoken language into written language by spelling. When you hear a word and spell it, you’re encoding—you’re representing the sounds you hear with letters. This is the reverse of decoding, which is reading a written word and turning it into spoken sounds. So the act of hearing a word and spelling it best shows encoding. The other ideas describe recognizing words by sight (fluency and orthographic recognition) or understanding meaning from context (comprehension), or sounding out letters to read a word (decoding/phonics), which are not encoding.

Encoding is turning spoken language into written language by spelling. When you hear a word and spell it, you’re encoding—you’re representing the sounds you hear with letters. This is the reverse of decoding, which is reading a written word and turning it into spoken sounds. So the act of hearing a word and spelling it best shows encoding. The other ideas describe recognizing words by sight (fluency and orthographic recognition) or understanding meaning from context (comprehension), or sounding out letters to read a word (decoding/phonics), which are not encoding.