Which type of phonics approach emphasizes blending sounds from letters to form words?

The emphasis on blending sounds from letters to form words is a hallmark of synthetic phonics. This approach teaches students to learn the individual sounds associated with each letter or group of letters and then to combine, or "blend," these sounds to read entire words. This systematic approach to phonics supports early reading development by equipping students with the skills needed to decode unfamiliar words through sound blending rather than relying solely on memorization or context clues.

In contrast, whole word phonics focuses on teaching words as complete units, without primarily emphasizing the sounds of their constituent letters. Contextual phonics incorporates the use of context to help with word recognition, which can be useful in certain reading situations but does not prioritize sound blending in the same structured way that synthetic phonics does. Color coding phonics typically utilizes color to differentiate sounds or letter groups but does not necessarily emphasize blending as a core technique. Thus, synthetic phonics stands out as the approach that directly fosters the blending of sounds to create words.