Which statement demonstrates understanding that a specific sequence of letters represents a spoken word?

• A. Says, 'You have to put the letters in the right order when you write my name.'
• B. Says, 'I made an invitation. Can you please write the letters to spell the word party?'
• C. Writes cts to represent the word cats
• D. Produces the correct sounds for 10-20 letters

Answer: (C)

Understanding that a written sequence can stand for the spoken word hinges on recognizing how writing encodes speech into letters. Writing cts to represent the word cats shows this encoding directly: a specific set of letters is chosen to stand for the spoken word, illustrating the link between sound and written form. Even though this isn’t the standard spelling, it demonstrates the concept that a particular letter sequence can convey a spoken word when read. The other statements touch on spelling or pronunciation but don’t illustrate using a precise letter sequence to represent a spoken word as clearly.