What is the definition of a grapheme?

A grapheme is defined as a single letter or a group of letters that represents a phoneme, which is the smallest unit of sound in a language. This means that graphemes can include not just individual letters, such as "a" or "t," but also combinations of letters that together create a single sound, such as "sh" in "ship" or "ch" in "chimp." This understanding is foundational in linguistics and literacy studies as it connects the written form of language with its spoken form.

The correct definition emphasizes the representation of sounds in written language, allowing for the mapping of phonetic components to their corresponding written symbols. This is essential in teaching reading and comprehension, as learners must be able to connect these elements to decode and understand text.