---
title: What is decoding?
description: Decoding is a key skill for learning to read. Find out what it means to decode words, and how to tell if a child is struggling with decoding.
slug: decoding-what-it-is-and-how-it-works
author: Julie Rawe
reviewer: Kim Greene, MA
published: '2019-08-05T15:39:54.258Z'
thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/1J2PH2h3STRbq6s6FODFZ8/c5b621e2a74cc10534bf6e5a2c40a30b/G687775187.jpg
source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/decoding-what-it-is-and-how-it-works
lang: en
---

# What is decoding?

A big part of learning to read is learning to “sound out” words that don’t look familiar. This skill is called decoding. 

The term *decoding* may make you think of spies and secret decoder rings. That makes sense because written language actually *is* a code. It uses symbols (letters) to represent sounds. 

To decode a word, you need to know: 

- **Which sound or sounds each letter makes,** like how a *g* sounds in *goose* and how it sounds in *gel*.
- **How to take apart the sounds in a word** **and blend them.** For example, with *jam*, the first sound is /j/, the next sound is /ă/, and the last sound is /m/. Then slowly blend them in “*jjjaamm.*”
- **How groups of letters can work together** to make a single sound, like s*h* in *fish*. Kids learn these kinds of letter patterns when they study phonics.

Kids typically start learning how to decode in kindergarten. Beginning readers start with decoding one-syllable words and work their way up to longer ones.

Adults use decoding too. Think about the last time you came across the name of a person or place you weren’t familiar with*. *You had to sound it out. But after you encounter that new word enough times, your brain starts to recognize it at a glance. This is true for kids and adults.

---

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