North Carolina Foundations of Reading Practice Test

Which is greater in the English language?

1. Number of vowels

2. Number of letters in the English alphabet

3. Number of phonemes

4. Number of words in use

The correct answer is: Number of phonemes

Choosing the number of phonemes as the greatest in the English language reflects an understanding of the complexity and richness of spoken language. Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that distinguish one word from another, and English features a significant number of them—approximately 44 distinct phonemes, depending on the dialect. In contrast, the English alphabet consists of only 26 letters. While these letters can combine to create multiple sounds, the total number of phonemes exceeds the number of letters due to the numerous ways sounds can be represented, particularly through combinations of letters, such as in the case of digraphs like "ch" or "sh." The number of vowels, typically considered to include five letters (a, e, i, o, u), is less than both the number of phonemes and the total alphabet letters. Finally, while there are hundreds of thousands of words in use in English, the number of phonemes is fundamentally greater when you consider the distinct sounds that can be made compared to the total number of words. Each word is built upon the foundational sounds, highlighting how phonemes serve as the basic building blocks of language.