Word analysis is more commonly known as "phonics" or "decoding." It refers to learning an alphabetic language's sound-symbol correspondences so that words may be "sounded out" by the reader. It also includes the ability to recognize and take advantage of the recurring spelling patterns of a language; this ability can then help the reader to recognize words quickly and accurately. For those readers with advanced word analysis skills, the term also refers to knowledge of the meanings and spellings of prefixes, root words, and suffixes.

First to letters - How well do your learners know the sounds of consonants and of short and long vowels? In random order, point to letters and ask for the sound, not the name, of the letter. Do they know them all? Is the ability automatic--that is, without hesitation? This is the first step in learning to decode words; each step needs practice until the response is automatic. Some beginning and adult poor readers are too disabled to acquire automaticity but most can reach mastery. Assess this initial skill of any reader who is having consistent trouble decoding words.

Other steps of WA to assess word attack skill:

• consonant blends to automaticity: st, sp, pr, bl...
  
  
• consonant digraphs (two letters, one sound) to automaticity: ch, sh, ck, ph...
  
  
• vowel combinations: digraphs ai, oa ..., and dipthongs ( two letters, sounds blended) au, oi ...?
  
  
• blending consonants and vowels to form syllables: /s/ /i/ /l/ to /si/ /l/ to sill; or /ch/ /I/ /k/ to chick.
  
  
• syllabication rules

Word Analysis inventories assess most of the possible phonetic letter combinations. Some tests use lists of real words that contain the different phonic elements, but those tests that present pseudowords instead of real words have the advantage of avoiding words that learners might know as sight words. Being able to read the word stop is not proof that the learner knows the short sound of o, but being able to read the pseudoword stoz does. Several assessments use pseudowords to evaluate word analysis skills. In some pseudoword inventories, the particular letter combination being assessed is noted so that you can have a record of those word parts or constructions each learner needs to work on.You can download Sylvia Greene's Informal Word Analysis Inventory from the "Resources" section of this web site. A timed test such as the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) gives a measure of word analysis automaticity.

Structural Analysis

Structural analysis is the process of interpreting word parts that make up a word. "...[U]sing word parts enables the reader to determine the pronunciation and meaning of unknown words. This word identification technique is effective especially if it is used along with phonic analysis and context clues" (Miller, p.123).

Structural analysis skill is assessed with teacher made inventories. Ask learners to divide compound words or to underline the root word or the affix in words with prefixes and/or suffixes.

Practice can have the same format as the assessment. This activity is a good illustration of how components work together to further skill in each - learning about affixes is both word analysis and a rich word meaning activity.

Compound Words

Time spent on looking at compound words can be a fun activity that helps learners focus on word parts. If each of a pair of words is understood, their joined meaning is usually clear. Understanding how each of a pair affects the meaning of the compound word can increase a learner's bank of general knowledge in addition to extending word knowledge, as with buttermilk, scarecrow, overpass, and headquarters.

Affixes (prefixes and suffixes)²

The ability to recognize and know how to use suffixes is developed throughout K-12 with its earliest introduction in first grade of inflectional suffixes that have to do with the grammar of a sentence -s, -ed, -ing, and of derivational suffixes that change the part of speech, for example, -er meaning "one who" as in teacher, or -en meaning "made of" as in golden.

Different from suffixes--which indicate parts of speech and use in a sentence--prefixes are additions to root words that form a new word with another meaning from that of the root word. In the word disagree, the prefix dis- meaning not changes the direction of meaning of the root, agree. Prefixes are introduced in reading texts around the third grade with the most common ones un- meaning "not" as in unclear or "opposite" as in unfold and under- as in underpaid.

An interesting illustration of the complexity of English orthography are the several prefixes that indicate "not": un-, dis-, im- as in impossible, in- as in inaccurate, mis- as in misunderstand, and ir- as in irrational.

Syllabication

Pseudoword analysis tests often include some but not enough polysyllabic words for you to evaluate how well learners can chunk word parts. Ability to syllabicate is most often assessed with teacher made tests. Here are six syllable types that you can test and use for practice to improve syllabication: (As with any rules, there are exceptions.)

1. closed, CVC or CCVC as in cot, plan - vowel is short
   
   
2. open, CV as in go - vowel is long
   
   
3. vowel combinations (digraphs and dipthongs) as in sail, bread - two vowels make one sound
   
   
4. final silent -e as in air/plane - vowel in last syllable is long
   
   
5. final -le as in bu/gle - vowel sound in (consonant, vowel) +le syllable is a schwa (uh)
   
   
6. R controlled - any vowel followed by an r. Vowels are neither long nor short as in doc/tor, per/fect, curd, part/ner, first.
   
   

Lists of affixes, compound words and syllable types can be found in most teaching materials accompanying reading programs. In addition, you can find information in other resources.

See the Test Bank for published assessments of Word Analysis.