Connecticut Foundations of Reading Test (FORT) Practice 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The correct answer is indeed the initial sound /s/ in the word "snake." A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another. The /s/ sound is a phoneme because it impacts the meaning of the word; changing it to a different sound, such as /b/, would result in a completely different word, "bake."

In contrast, the whole word "cat" represents multiple phonemes working together to convey meaning, rather than isolating a single sound. The sound of a bell, while it is an auditory signal, does not represent a phoneme within any spoken language system and is not used in the context of building or changing words. The ending sound /t/ in "cut," like the initial sound /s/, is also a phoneme because it can differentiate words; however, the question specifically asks for an example, and /s/ as an initial sound in "snake" is highlighted as an example of how phonemes function in word formation.