What describes the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent?

The concept being described is best identified as letter-sound correspondence. This term specifically refers to the systematic relationship between letters (graphemes) and the sounds (phonemes) they represent in a given language. Understanding letter-sound correspondence is fundamental to phonics instruction, as it helps learners decode words and understand how letters form sounds, ultimately aiding in reading and spelling skills.

While graphophonemic does pertain to the study of the relationship between letters and sounds, it is a broader term that encompasses the characteristics of this relationship and its theoretical background. In practice, the more commonly used terms related to teaching and learning are letter-sound correspondence and phonics.

Phonics is an instructional method based on this relationship, focusing specifically on teaching learners to associate sounds with letters and letter combinations. Orthography, on the other hand, relates more to the conventions and rules of writing in a language rather than the specific relationship between letters and their corresponding sounds.

Therefore, letter-sound correspondence accurately captures the essential concept that underscores the relationship between letters and their associated sounds in the context of reading instruction.