Which of the following best describes phonics?

Phonics is fundamentally focused on the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent. It encompasses the way letters combine to create sounds and the rules that govern these combinations. This foundational skill is crucial for early reading development, as it helps learners decode words by understanding how phonemes (the smallest units of sound) correlate with graphemes (letters and letter combinations). This method facilitates the ability to sound out words, which is an essential step in learning to read.

The other choices, while related to literacy, address different aspects of language. The study of the meaning of words pertains to vocabulary and semantics, which is a broader concept than phonics. Sentence structure and grammar focus on the rules of language that guide how words are arranged, which does not directly involve sound-letter relationships. Reading comprehension strategies encompass skills for understanding and interpreting text, which builds on phonics but is not a definition of it. Therefore, the best description of phonics is indeed the study of the sounds of the letters of the alphabet.