Final answer:
The basic unit of data like a letter, number, or special character is called a 1) character. This is the smallest element that can be individually stored in computing.
Step-by-step explanation:
When we refer to a character in the context of data and computing, we're discussing the smallest element that can be stored, such as the individual letters in a text document, the digits that compose a number, or symbols like punctuation marks.
In computing, a character is a typographical unit that is used to create words, sentences, and other types of data. A field, on the other hand, is a grouping of characters that represents a specific piece of information, and a record is typically a collection of related fields. To clarify, you would type characters, which form fields when related characters are grouped together, and records consist of related fields that together describe an entire set of data. A basic unit of data such as a letter, number, or special character is known as a 1) character.