Phonemes are:

Phonemes are:

• A. Letters of the alphabet
• B. Sounds represented by letters in the alphabet
• C. Punctuation marks
• D. Meanings of words

Answer: (B)

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in speech that can change the meaning of a word. They’re the actual sounds you hear, such as the /k/, /æ/, and /t/ in “cat.” In writing, letters are symbols that represent these sounds, and the same sound can be written with different letters (for example, the /f/ sound can be f, ph, or ff). That’s why the description “sounds represented by letters in the alphabet” is the best fit. The other ideas describe things unrelated to sound: letters are symbols for writing, punctuation marks are for structuring text, and meanings of words relate to semantics, not sound.

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in speech that can change the meaning of a word. They’re the actual sounds you hear, such as the /k/, /æ/, and /t/ in “cat.” In writing, letters are symbols that represent these sounds, and the same sound can be written with different letters (for example, the /f/ sound can be f, ph, or ff). That’s why the description “sounds represented by letters in the alphabet” is the best fit. The other ideas describe things unrelated to sound: letters are symbols for writing, punctuation marks are for structuring text, and meanings of words relate to semantics, not sound.