What term refers to the written symbols (letters or combinations of letters) that represent phonemes in written language?

• A. Graphemes
• B. Phonemes
• C. Diphthongs
• D. Vowel team

Answer: (A)

Graphemes are the written symbols that stand for sounds in written language. They can be a single letter or a combination of letters that represent a phoneme. For example, the /f/ sound can be written as f in "fan" or as ph in "phone"—both spellings are graphemes representing the same sound. Phonemes are the actual sounds, not the symbols. Diphthongs describe a specific kind of vowel sound that glides from one vowel to another, not the letter(s) that represent it. A vowel team is a two-letter grapheme that represents a single vowel sound, which is a specific type of grapheme. Since the question asks for the term for the written symbols that represent phonemes, the best answer is graphemes.