English alphabet
In this chapter the English alphabet will be explained. How many letters does the alphabet have? What does the alphabet look like? And how is the pronunciation of the different letters?
Lesson Outline
HideHow many letters does the English alphabet have?
The English language uses the Latin alphabet in its core and consists of 26 letters. It is vital to learn the alphabet as foundation for the learning of any language.
The 26 letters of the English alphabet
The table below shows you a list of all the letters of the English alphabet in capital or small letters, their individual pronunciation and how they sound when used in a word.
| Capital letters | Small letters | Letter pronunciation | Pronunciation examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | a | [ei] | Apple |
| B | b | [bi] | Bus |
| C | c | [si] | Cut |
| D | d | [di] | Dinner |
| E | e | [i] | Enjoy |
| F | f | [ef] | Fox |
| G | g | [gi] | Garden |
| H | h | [eich] | Hunter |
| I | i | [ai] | Irregular |
| J | j | [jei] | Jewerly |
| K | k | [kei] | Kind |
| L | l | [el] | Leprechaun |
| M | m | [em] | Mirror |
| N | n | [en] | New |
| O | o | [ou] | Old |
| P | p | [pi] | Prison |
| Q | q | [kiu] | Quarterly |
| R | r | [ar] | Reason |
| S | s | [es] | Singular |
| T | t | [ti] | Traveler |
| U | u | [yu] | Usual |
| V | v | [vi] | Vegetarian |
| W | w | [dobeliu] | Wanted |
| X | x | [ecs] | Xenophobia |
| Y | y | [uái] | Yellow |
| Z | z | [cet] | Zero |
Capitalization in English
When do you use a capital letter in English? The following table shows an overview of the rules of capitalization in English.
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| 1. You write a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence. | He likes to play soccer. |
| 2. Capitalize the first word in quotations. | She said, 'That is not fair.' |
| 3. You write a capital letter for proper nouns: names of people, specific places, companies, and things. | I moved to Spain last January. |
| 4. Titles of persons get a capital letter when they replace the use of a name or before a name. | Sincerely, Prince Harry |
| 5. Capitalize directions that refer to specific regions. | I live in Northern Spain. |
6. Names of books, movies and other publications get a capital letter. |
The Hunger Games |
| 7. Capitalize days, months and holidays. | Her birthday is in July. |
| 8. Capitalize cities, nationalities, countries and languages. | They are German. |
| 9. Some time periods and events get a capital letter. | World War II was a dark period in the history. |
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