Alphabet

What is the alphabet?

The alphabet is the set of letters we use to write words. The English alphabet has 26 letters, always in the same order:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The word alphabet comes from the first two letters of the ancient Greek alphabet: alpha and beta.

Uppercase and lowercase

Every letter has two forms.

• Uppercase (capital) letters: A, B, C
• Lowercase (small) letters: a, b, c

Some pairs look alike (C c, O o, S s, W w). Others look very different (A a, G g, R r). Learning to match them is an important early reading skill.

Use uppercase letters to start sentences and names (Mia, Canada, Monday). Use lowercase for almost everything else.

Vowels and consonants

Letters are split into two groups.

• Vowels: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y (as in gym or my)
• Consonants: the other 20 or 21 letters: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, z (and y when it starts a word, like yes)

Every word needs at least one vowel sound. That’s why y sometimes acts as a vowel: sky, fly, happy.

Letter names and letter sounds

Each letter has a name and at least one sound.

• The letter b is named "bee" and says /b/.
• The letter s is named "ess" and says /s/ (and sometimes /z/, as in is).
• The letter c says /k/ in cat and /s/ in city.

Knowing letter sounds, not just names, is what helps children read. That is the start of phonics.

Alphabetical order

Alphabetical order means arranging words in the same order as the letters of the alphabet. It is used in dictionaries, glossaries, phone lists, indexes and libraries.

1. Look at the first letter: apple, dog, zebra.
2. If the first letters match, look at the second letter: ball, bell, bus.
3. Keep going until the letters differ: star, stem, stop.

Example: Put in order: cat, car, cab → cab, car, cat (compare the third letters: b, r, t).

Learning the alphabet

• Sing it. The alphabet song helps memorize the order.
• See it. Point to each letter while singing so the song matches the shapes. (Many children think "elemenopee" is one letter!)
• Trace it. Write letters in sand, shaving cream or with a finger on the table.
• Find it. Look for letters on signs, cereal boxes and books.
• Sort it. Group magnetic letters into uppercase and lowercase, or vowels and consonants.

Fun alphabet facts

• E is the most common letter in English. Q and Z are among the rarest.
• A sentence with every letter is called a pangram: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
• In Canada the last letter is "zed"; in the United States it is "zee".
• Some languages have far more letters: Khmer has 74.

Worked examples

Example 1: What letter comes after m? → n.

Example 2: Match the pairs: G, b, R, q → g, B, r, Q.

Example 3: Alphabetical order: moose, maple, mitten → maple, mitten, moose.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up b and d, p and q. Try the "bed" trick: make two fists with thumbs up; the left hand makes a b, the right hand makes a d, and together they form a bed.
• Capital letters in the middle of words: mY dOg ✗.
• Rushing the "lmnop" part of the song.

Try it yourself

1. Write the vowels.
2. What letter comes before t?
3. Put in alphabetical order: river, rain, robot.
4. Write your name with the first letter uppercase and the rest lowercase.

Answers: 1. a, e, i, o, u (sometimes y). 2. s. 3. rain, river, robot. 4. Example: Jordan.

Tip for families

Go on an "alphabet walk." Try to find something that starts with each letter, in order, as you walk around your neighbourhood or home. Tricky letters like q, x and z can be found on signs and licence plates.

Quick recap

• English has 26 letters, each with an uppercase and lowercase form.
• Vowels are a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y; the rest are consonants.
• Letters have names and sounds.
• Alphabetical order compares first letters, then second letters and so on.