Which grapheme represents the /f/ sound in "face"?

Which grapheme represents the /f/ sound in "face"?

• A. ph
• B. gh
• C. v
• D. f

Answer: (D)

The key idea is how the /f/ sound is written in English. In the word face, the /f/ sound at the start is written with the grapheme f, which is the most common way to spell /f/ at the beginning of a word. Other spellings like ph or gh can represent /f/ in some words (for example, ph in phone), but they would not spell the /f/ sound in face. The letter v, by contrast, makes the /v/ sound, not /f/. So the grapheme f is the correct representation for the initial /f/ in face.

The key idea is how the /f/ sound is written in English. In the word face, the /f/ sound at the start is written with the grapheme f, which is the most common way to spell /f/ at the beginning of a word. Other spellings like ph or gh can represent /f/ in some words (for example, ph in phone), but they would not spell the /f/ sound in face. The letter v, by contrast, makes the /v/ sound, not /f/. So the grapheme f is the correct representation for the initial /f/ in face.