What is a grapheme?

A grapheme is defined as the smallest meaningful unit of written language, which includes letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and other symbols that represent phonemes in spoken language. It serves as a fundamental building block of written communication, allowing individuals to convey sounds through visual symbols. Graphemes can be single letters, like ‘a’ or ‘b’, or combinations of letters that represent a sound, like ‘sh’ in ‘ship.’ Understanding graphemes is crucial for literacy development, particularly in reading and writing, as they link phonetic sounds to their written representations.

The other options do not accurately describe what a grapheme is. Digital literacy refers to the ability to use digital tools and technologies effectively, while a tool for teaching phonics focuses on methods for helping children understand the relationships between sounds and their written forms. Narrative style pertains to the way a story is told and is unrelated to the concept of graphemes.