Graphemes

/ˈɡræfiːmz/ noun

Definition

The plural of grapheme; multiple smallest units of a writing system that distinguish words from one another, such as letters or symbols.

Etymology

Plural form of 'grapheme,' from Greek 'graphe' plus '-eme,' following standard English pluralization with '-s' suffix.

Kelly Says

English graphemes are particularly frustrating because we have 26 letters (graphemes) but about 44 distinct sounds (phonemes), which is why 'tough' and 'through' are pronounced differently despite similar spelling—our writing system is historically inconsistent.

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