Learn to read english

Since written English is a symbolic representation of the speech sounds of the language, an understanding of the individual speech sounds of language (phonemic awareness) helps children to understand the relationship between spoken and written language, making learning to read and spell easier.
Understanding how sounds are connected to print

In an English alphabetic system, the individual letters on the page are abstract and meaningless, in and of themselves. They must eventually be linked to equally abstract sounds called phonemes, blended together and pronounced as words, where meaning is finally realized.

To learn to read English, the child must figure out the relationship between sounds and letters. Thus, the beginning reader must learn the connections between the approximately 44 sounds of spoken English (the phonemes), and the 26 letters of the alphabet.