What is the primary benefit of segmenting words into onsets and rimes?

Segmenting words into onsets and rimes primarily benefits phonological awareness, which is an essential skill in reading development. Phonological awareness involves recognizing and working with sounds in spoken language, and it helps students understand how words are constructed. By breaking words into onsets (the initial consonant or consonant clusters) and rimes (the vowel and any following consonants), learners can better grasp the sound structure of language, facilitating word decoding and spelling.

This segmentation process also supports the development of decoding skills. As students learn to identify common rime patterns shared among different words, they can apply this knowledge to read new words more easily. For example, understanding that the rime "-at" appears in "cat," "bat," and "hat" allows students to recognize and read these words efficiently.

The other options, while valuable in their respective areas, do not directly stem from the practice of segmenting words into onsets and rimes. While improving silent reading skills, increasing vocabulary depth, and building comprehension strategies are all important aspects of literacy, they do not specifically highlight the immediate advantage of enhancing phonological awareness that results from this segmentation practice.