Letter Means Both a Character and a Message
A letter is a written character and a written message. One word covers the smallest unit and the whole document.
A letter is a character of the alphabet, and also a written message. The double sense is old and comes from Latin *littera*, which meant a written mark; the plural *litterae* meant a written communication, and English took both. *Literature*, *literal* and *literacy* all descend from the same mark on a page.
- An alphabet character. *The letter A.*
- A written message. *A letter from home.*
- To the letter — exactly. *Followed to the letter.*
- Letters — learning. *A man of letters.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | letter | A capital letter. |
| Plural | letters | Twenty-six letters. |
| Adjective | literal | A literal reading. |
| Noun | literature | English literature. |
| Noun | literacy | Adult literacy. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He followed the instructions to the letter.Exactly.
- The letter of the law, not its spirit.Literal wording versus intent.
- A man of letters is a scholar.Slightly archaic.
Alphabet facts
- Twenty-six letters — in the modern English alphabet
- Thorn and eth — Old English letters for *th*, now lost
- Ampersand — once taught as the twenty-seventh letter
- J, U and W — the most recent additions to the Latin alphabet
- Alphabet — from *alpha* and *beta*, the first two Greek letters
From Old French *lettre*, from Latin *littera*, a letter of the alphabet; the plural meant an epistle or learning.
What was the thorn?
An Old English letter written þ, used for the *th* sound. Its resemblance to Y in some scripts is why signs say *Ye Olde*.
Was the ampersand a letter?
It was recited at the end of the alphabet in nineteenth-century schoolrooms, and the name comes from *and per se and*.