Glossary · Reading science and reading difficulty
What are Ehri's phases of word reading?
Definition
Ehri's phases describe how word reading develops: pre-alphabetic, partial alphabetic, full alphabetic and consolidated alphabetic, based on how readers use letters.
In the pre-alphabetic phase, a child recognizes words by visual features, like the arches of a logo, not by letters. In the partial alphabetic phase, they use some letters, usually the first and last, and guess the rest.
In the full alphabetic phase, the student connects every letter or grapheme to a sound and can decode unfamiliar words. This is where orthographic mapping takes off. In the consolidated phase, they read in larger chunks, such as -ing, -tion and common syllables, so longer words go faster.
The phases help explain errors. A student who reads went as “want” is using the first and last letters only, a partial alphabetic habit. The fix is full blending, attending to every letter.
In a lesson
A kindergartner reads stop on a red sign but not on a white card. That's pre-alphabetic: the color and shape did the work. A month later, she sounds out s-t-o-p from the card.
Why does this matter for the record?
Noting a student's phase in a sentence tells the next teacher what kind of errors to expect and what to teach.
Rate each skill as you teach it
Needs support, Developing, Secure. The rating schedules the review and builds the report.