What are the smallest units of sound in spoken words called?

What are the smallest units of sound in spoken words called?

• A. Syllables
• B. Morphemes
• C. Phonemes
• D. Graphemes

Answer: (C)

Think of the sounds that make up speech as the basic building blocks. The smallest units of sound that can distinguish words are phonemes. For example, in the word “cat” you hear three distinct sounds: /k/, /æ/, and /t/. If you swap /k/ for /p/, you get “pat,” a different word, which shows how changing one phoneme can change meaning. Syllables are larger chunks that usually contain a vowel; “cat” has one syllable. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning, like “cat” or “cats” with the plural suffix. Graphemes are letters or letter patterns in writing. So the sound-level building blocks are phonemes, which is why that term is the correct choice.

Think of the sounds that make up speech as the basic building blocks. The smallest units of sound that can distinguish words are phonemes. For example, in the word “cat” you hear three distinct sounds: /k/, /æ/, and /t/. If you swap /k/ for /p/, you get “pat,” a different word, which shows how changing one phoneme can change meaning. Syllables are larger chunks that usually contain a vowel; “cat” has one syllable. Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning, like “cat” or “cats” with the plural suffix. Graphemes are letters or letter patterns in writing. So the sound-level building blocks are phonemes, which is why that term is the correct choice.