What is a trigraph?

A trigraph is defined as a group of three letters that come together to represent a single sound (phoneme). This concept is crucial in the study of phonics and spelling, especially in the context of teaching literacy to children.

For instance, in the word “igh” as in "light," although it is composed of three letters, it produces just one sound. Recognizing trigraphs helps children decode words more effectively and understand how different letter combinations work together to form sounds. Therefore, understanding trigraphs contributes significantly to their reading and writing skills.

In contrast, other options refer to different phonetic constructs, such as digraphs (two letters making one sound) and single letters representing a vowel, which do not align with the definition of a trigraph.