In early literacy, how are decoding and encoding related?

• A. They are reciprocal, mutually supportive skills
• B. They are unrelated
• C. Encoding always precedes decoding
• D. Decoding always precedes encoding but not reciprocal

Answer: (A)

Decoding and encoding are reciprocal, mutually supportive skills in early literacy. Decoding is turning printed letters into sounds to read words, while encoding is doing the reverse—representing sounds with letters to write or spell. Because both rely on the same underlying knowledge of phoneme–grapheme relationships, practicing one strengthens the other. When a learner reads a word and hears its sounds, that sound pattern becomes more available for spelling later, so they can encode the word they’ve decoded. Conversely, when they practice spelling and hear the individual sounds and how they map to letters, they’re reinforcing the patterns that will help them decode similar words in reading. This back-and-forth reinforcement means neither skill strictly must come first; they grow together and support each other. Activities that mix both, like spelling along with reading aloud or word-building exercises, help solidify both decoding and encoding.

The other options don’t fit because decoding and encoding are not unrelated, and the relationship isn’t strictly one-way or sequential. They work together, each strengthening the other as learners become more proficient with the alphabetic code.