How Do Phonics and Comprehension Work Together?

If a child can decode a word but has never heard it before, phonics is not enough. An example would be the word lemur, L-E-M-U-R. That word can be read lemur or lemur depending on how you divide it into syllables. There's no rule that tells you exactly what to do. We get to comprehension by starting with phonics and then building vocabulary so they land on the correct word.