What are digraphs?

Digraphs are specifically defined as a combination of two letters that represent a single sound or phoneme in spoken language. This can include common pairs like "ch" in "chop," "sh" in "ship," and "th" in "that." Understanding digraphs is essential for developing phonemic awareness, which is crucial for young readers as they learn to decode and pronounce words.

The other options pertain to different concepts in literacy education. Teaching strategies encompass various approaches and methods used by educators to enhance student learning but do not specify what digraphs are. The rules for writing sentences are related to grammar and syntax, which do not address the phonetic combination that defines digraphs. Lastly, a group of related words refers to lexical semantics rather than the phonetic structure indicated by the term digraph. Therefore, the correct choice accurately captures the essence of what digraphs represent in the study of reading and phonetics.