Which term describes a language system that uses symbols or pictures to represent words instead of sounds?

The term that accurately describes a language system using symbols or pictures to represent words rather than sounds is a logographic system. In logographic writing systems, each symbol corresponds to a word or a meaningful unit rather than a specific sound or phoneme. This is distinct from phonetic or alphabetic systems where letters or characters are used to represent individual sounds that combine to form words.

In contrast, a phonetic system relies on the representation of phonemes, the distinct units of sound in a language. An alphabetic system specifically uses an alphabet of letters to represent these sounds, allowing for the construction of words based on their phonetic spelling. A syntax system pertains to the arrangement of words and phrases to create meaningful sentences, without addressing how those words are represented visually.

Therefore, recognizing that a logographic system uses symbols that stand for words aligns perfectly with the concept presented in the question.