Learn English – formal spelling for the English letter names

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The English alphabet has a common pronunciation. For example, the letter b is pronounced like the word bee, the letter c like the word see, and the letter i like the word aye.

Is there a formal spelling for the letter names?

Best Answer

Formal yes, universal no. Here's one:

We have included each letter with its name and plural below the list of examples. The United States uses zee, while other countries use zed.

 A   a                      aes
 B   bee                    bees
 C   cee                    cees
 D   dee                    dees
 E   e                      ees
 F   ef (verbal eff)        efs (effs)
 G   gee                    gees
 H   aitch                  aitches
 I   i                      ies
 J   jay                    jays
 K   kay                    kays
 L   el or ell              els or ells
 M   em                     ems
 N   en                     ens
 O   o                      oes
 P   pee                    pees
 Q   cue                    cues
 R   ar                     ars
 S   ess (es as prefix)     esses
 T   tee                    tees
 U   u                      ues
 V   vee                    vees
 W   double-u               double-ues
 X   ex                     exes
 Y   wy or wye              wyes
 Z   zee or zed             zees or zeds

Letter names Each letter of the English alphabet can be spelled as itself (e.g., a DJ or T-shirt) or it can be spelled out using its name (e.g., a deejay or tee-shirt). Vowels still stand for themselves, and while very rare, the plural of vowels are made by adding -es. In the capitalized form the plurals are made by either -s or -‘s (e.g., L’s or As).

Spelling letters usually occurs in compound names or derivatives. These spellings are different than the phonetic alphabet used to distinguish similar sounding letters while speaking.

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