Final answer:
DNA polymerase is the enzyme responsible for reading and proofreading the DNA during replication, ensuring accuracy by correcting any mistakes via its 3' exonuclease activity.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the proofreading phase of DNA replication, the enzyme that reads the DNA and corrects any mistakes is DNA polymerase. This crucial enzyme carries out the essential task of proofreading by checking each newly added nucleotide against the template strand. If an error is detected, DNA polymerase's 3' exonuclease activity enables it to make a cut in the phosphodiester bond, excise the incorrect nucleotide, and then correctly replace it.
Specifically, this correction mechanism ensures that errors during DNA replication are kept to a minimum. It is also worth mentioning that DNA ligase is responsible for connecting Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand, but it is DNA polymerase that carries out the proofreading function during DNA synthesis.