What are Phonemes and Graphemes?

Understanding Phonemes and Graphemes

Any lower Elementary school teacher knows that teaching reading is a complicated science. It is filled with terminology (for the teachers to know, not necessarily the students) and procedures that should be followed relatively closely in order to ensure student mastery. But navigating all of this terminology can be daunting, especially for anyone who hasn’t been teaching it for years! Two of the most confusing concepts in early literacy are phonemes and graphemes.

What is a Phoneme?

A phoneme is the smallest unit of spoken sound in the English language. It can be represented by multiple letters, as in the /sh/ sound, or it can only represent part of one letter, as in the /k/ in the letter ‘x.’ Most linguistic experts agree that there are about 44 phonemes in the English language, with some variations for accent, dialect, etc. Each of these 44 phonemes is represented by one or more of the 26 letters of the alphabet, either alone or in combination with some other letter. 

What is a Grapheme?

While phonemes are verbal, graphemes are visual. A grapheme is a written symbol that represents a spoken sound. Unlike phonemes, graphemes give us the visual component of a sound. They can either be one letter, or a combination of letters. There are also multiple graphemes that can represent one phoneme. Students use graphemes in reading by attaching a verbal sound to every given grapheme. Students also use them in writing to attach a written symbol to each sound in the words they are writing.

Examples of Phonemes and their Graphemes

There are many types of phonemes. Here are some examples of the trickiest phonemes and their graphemes: