What is a digraph?

What is a digraph?

• A. A three-letter sequence that produces two phonemes.
• B. A single letter that represents a phoneme.
• C. A two-letter combination that creates one phoneme, such as 'sh' or 'ch'.
• D. A word's root combined with a prefix.

Answer: (C)

Two letters that work together to make one sound are a digraph. In English, some sounds are produced by a pair of letters rather than a single letter. For example, the pair 'sh' in ship makes one sound, and 'ch' in chalk makes another single sound. A digraph is defined by this two-letter combination producing a single phoneme. The other ideas don’t fit: a three-letter sequence doesn’t describe a standard two-letters-for-one-sound pattern; a single letter represents a sound by itself; and a root plus a prefix concerns word meaning and structure, not how sounds are produced.

Two letters that work together to make one sound are a digraph. In English, some sounds are produced by a pair of letters rather than a single letter. For example, the pair 'sh' in ship makes one sound, and 'ch' in chalk makes another single sound. A digraph is defined by this two-letter combination producing a single phoneme. The other ideas don’t fit: a three-letter sequence doesn’t describe a standard two-letters-for-one-sound pattern; a single letter represents a sound by itself; and a root plus a prefix concerns word meaning and structure, not how sounds are produced.