Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) Foundations of Reading Practice Exam

What are Digraphs?

1. Two vowels that represent a single sound

2. Two consecutive consonants that represent one phoneme

3. Letters that are silent in a word

4. A type of word blend

The correct answer is: Two consecutive consonants that represent one phoneme

Digraphs refer to two consecutive letters that work together to represent a single sound or phoneme in speech. This is commonly seen in pairs of consonants, such as "sh," "ch," and "th." When these letters are combined, they create a sound that differs from the individual sounds of each letter when spoken separately. Understanding digraphs is essential for decoding and spelling words accurately, as they play a significant role in phonics instruction. While the other descriptions pertain to different phonetic concepts—like vowel pairs, silent letters, or word blends—they do not accurately reflect the definition of digraphs. Recognizing digraphs helps improve reading fluency and comprehension, as students learn to identify these sounds in various words.