Which ability allows children to count the sounds in the word 'hamburger'?

The ability that allows children to count the sounds in the word "hamburger" relates to phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is the skill that involves recognizing and manipulating the individual phonemes, or distinct units of sound, in spoken words. For the word "hamburger," children would listen to the sounds that make up the word and count them, which is a demonstration of their understanding of the phonemic structure of language.

In contrast, oral segmenting specifically refers to breaking down words into their phonetic components, which closely aligns with phonemic awareness but is a more directed action. Auditory discrimination is the ability to recognize differences in sounds, which is critical for learning but does not specifically involve counting sounds. Syllable counting focuses on dividing words into syllables rather than individual sounds, making it a different skill than counting phonemes. Thus, choosing phonemic awareness accurately captures the essence of counting sounds in "hamburger" by recognizing the distinct phonetic elements involved.