Perth Speech Therapy – Alfred Cove, WA
What Is Segmenting?
When children learn to read and spell, one of the most powerful skills they develop is segmenting.
Segmenting means breaking words down into their smallest units of sound. It’s the reverse of blending (where sounds are combined to make a word).
It’s an essential part of phonological awareness and builds the foundation for reading and spelling development.
Segmenting helps children:
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Recognise that words are made up of individual sounds
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Match each sound to a written letter or group of letters
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Improve spelling accuracy and confidence
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Build awareness of patterns in words and language
For example, when a child hears the word dog and can identify that it’s made up of /d/ – /o/ – /g/, they’re demonstrating segmenting skills.
This ability allows children to “pull apart” spoken words — giving them the tools to spell and write independently (Ehri, 2014).
Strong segmenting skills form the basis of decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) — both crucial for literacy success (National Reading Panel, 2000).
Why Segmenting Matters
Research shows that explicit teaching in phonological awareness — including segmenting and blending — dramatically improves children’s reading and spelling outcomes (Ehri et al., 2001).
When children struggle with segmenting, they often:
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Find spelling new words hard
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Struggle to match sounds to letters
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Feel frustrated or lose confidence when writing
With guided practice, segmenting can become automatic. This makes reading and writing smoother, faster, and more enjoyable.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2001-07934-002
How Speech Pathologists Support Segmenting
Speech pathologists play a key role in helping children develop strong segmenting skills.
At Perth Speech Therapy in Alfred Cove, our team uses hands-on, multisensory activities to make learning engaging and memorable.
Here are some examples we use in therapy:
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Tapping, jumping, or clapping the sounds in a word
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Using counters or blocks to represent each sound
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Drawing sound boxes (Elkonin boxes) to map sounds to letters
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Stretching words slowly to hear each sound clearly
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Linking segmenting practice to structured spelling lessons
These strategies help children connect spoken sounds to written symbols — building lasting reading and spelling foundations (Birsh & Carreker, 2018).
Building Confident, Fluent Readers in Perth
Developing strong segmenting skills early gives children a real head start in literacy.
When kids can confidently segment and blend sounds, they can decode, spell, and understand new words — setting the stage for fluent reading and lifelong learning (Ehri, 2014).
If your child struggles with reading, spelling, or writing, we can help.
đź“ž Contact Perth Speech Therapy (Alfred Cove)
At Perth Speech Therapy, we specialise in helping children master the building blocks of literacy — segmenting, blending, and spelling.
We make reading fun, engaging, and confidence-boosting through structured literacy approaches tailored to your child’s needs.
👉 Call us today or book your consultation online to get started.M:0412 256 656.
Learn more about our literacy programs at Perth Speech Therapy in Alfred Cove
“What is segmenting and why is it important for literacy?”
Q1: What is segmenting in literacy?
Segmenting is the skill of breaking spoken words into individual sounds or phonemes. For example, the word dog can be segmented into /d/ /o/ /g/. This awareness helps children understand how sounds link to letters — the foundation for spelling and reading fluency.
Q2: Why is segmenting important for reading and spelling?
Segmenting helps children connect each sound to a written letter, improving their ability to spell new words and decode text accurately. Strong segmenting skills make reading smoother and build lasting confidence with literacy tasks.
Q3: How does Perth Speech Therapy help children develop segmenting skills?
At Perth Speech Therapy in Alfred Cove, our speech pathologists use hands-on, evidence-based strategies — like sound boxes, clapping syllables, and structured literacy activities — to strengthen segmenting, blending, and overall reading skills.
Learn more about our literacy and reading support programs at Perth Speech Therapy.
References
Birsh, J. R., & Carreker, S. (2018). Multisensory teaching of basic language skills (4th ed.). Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Ehri, L. C. (2014). Orthographic mapping in the acquisition of sight word reading, spelling memory, and vocabulary learning. Scientific Studies of Reading, 18(1), 5–21.
Ehri, L. C., Nunes, S. R., Willows, D. M., Schuster, B. V., Yaghoub-Zadeh, Z., & Shanahan, T. (2001). Phonemic awareness instruction helps children learn to read: Evidence from the National Reading Panel’s meta-analysis. Reading Research Quarterly, 36(3), 250–287.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
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