What does the term "grapheme" refer to?

The term "grapheme" refers to the smallest unit of written language that represents a phoneme, which is a single sound in spoken language. Each grapheme corresponds to a phoneme, allowing for the representation of sounds in writing. For example, the letter "c" in the word "cat" is a grapheme that represents the phoneme /k/. Understanding graphemes is crucial for literacy development because they help learners connect spoken language with written letters and words. This knowledge is foundational in teaching reading and writing, as it helps students decode and encode language effectively.