Letter - Wikipedia-style Article

Letter

Definition

Letter can function as a noun and a verb. As a noun, it refers to a written or printed message typically sent through the mail or one of the characters in an alphabet. As a verb, it means to inscribe or mark with letters.

Parts of Speech
  • Noun
  • Verb
Pronunciation

American English

  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈlɛtɚ/
  • Respelling: LET-er

British English

  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈlɛtə/
  • Respelling: LET-uh
Etymology

The word "letter" originates from Old French "lettre," which comes from Latin "littera," meaning "a written character" or "letter of the alphabet." The term evolved to encompass both written communications and the symbols used in writing.

Derivatives
  • Letterhead (noun)
  • Lettering (noun)
  • Letterpress (noun)
  • Letterman (noun)
  • Letterless (adjective)
Synonyms
  • Note
  • Epistle
  • Character
Antonyms
  • None
Usage

The word "letter" is commonly used in communication and linguistics. For example, "I wrote a letter to my friend," or "The word contains five letters." As a verb, it may be used in contexts such as "The sign was lettered beautifully."

Related Terms
  • Alphabet: A set of letters used in a particular language.
  • Mail: The system for sending letters and parcels.
  • Script: A style of writing using letters.
Detailed Definitions

Noun

  • A written or printed message, typically sent by mail: Refers to correspondence or communication.
    • Example: "He received a letter from his grandmother."
  • A character in an alphabet: Refers to the symbols used in writing systems.
    • Example: "The word 'apple' starts with the letter 'A.'"

Verb

  • To inscribe or mark with letters: Refers to the act of writing or engraving letters.
    • Example: "The trophy was lettered with his name."
  • To label with letters for identification: Describes marking something with alphabetic characters.
    • Example: "Each section of the blueprint was lettered for clarity."

letter

She received a letter from her grandmother.
The word 'apple' starts with the letter 'A.'
The trophy was lettered with his name.
普通话
हिन्दी
español
français
اللغة العربية الفصحى
বাংলা
русский язык
Portuguese
bahasa Indonesia
Deutsch
日本語
Tiếng Việt
한국어
Türkçe
اردو

🇨🇳 Chinese (Mandarin)

  • "信" (xìn) – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ɕîn/
  • English Respell: sheen

‍

  • "字母" (zìmǔ) – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /tsɹ̩̂.mù/
  • English Respell: dzer-moo

‍

🇮🇳 Hindi

  • "पत्र" (patra) – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /pət̪rə/
  • English Respell: puh-truh

‍

  • "अक्षर" (akṣara) – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /əkʂərə/
  • English Respell: uhk-shuh-ruh

‍

🇪🇸 Spanish

  • "Carta" – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈkarta/
  • English Respell: kahr-tah

‍

  • "Letra" – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈletra/
  • English Respell: leh-trah

‍

🇫🇷 French

  • "Lettre" – both a written communication and a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /lɛtʁ/
  • English Respell: let-r

‍

🇸🇦 Arabic (Modern Standard Arabic)

  • "رسالة" (risālah) – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /riːˈsaːlɐ/
  • English Respell: ree-sah-luh

‍

  • "حرف" (ḥarf) – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ħarf/
  • English Respell: harf

‍

🇧🇩 Bengali

  • "চিঠি" (cithi) – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /tʃiʈʰi/
  • English Respell: chee-thee

‍

  • "বর্ণ" (bôrn) – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /bɔrn/
  • English Respell: born

‍

🇷🇺 Russian

  • "Письмо" (Pismo) – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈpʲi.smə/
  • English Respell: pee-smuh

‍

  • "Буква" (Bukva) – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈbuk.və/
  • English Respell: book-vuh

‍

🇵🇹 Portuguese

  • "Carta" – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈkaɾtɐ/
  • English Respell: kahr-tuh

‍

  • "Letra" – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈlɛtɾɐ/
  • English Respell: leh-truh

‍

🇮🇩 Indonesian

  • "Surat" – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /sʊˈrat/
  • English Respell: soo-raht

‍

  • "Huruf" – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /huˈruf/
  • English Respell: hoo-roof

‍

🇩🇪 German

  • "Brief" – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /bʁiːf/
  • English Respell: breef

‍

  • "Buchstabe" – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ˈbuːxʃtaːbə/
  • English Respell: book-shta-beh

‍

🇯🇵 Japanese

  • "手紙" (tegami) – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /te.ɡa.mi/
  • English Respell: teh-gah-mee

‍

  • "文字" (moji) – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /mo.dʑi/
  • English Respell: moh-jee

‍

🇻🇳 Vietnamese

  • "Thư" – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /tʰưː/
  • English Respell: too

‍

  • "Chữ" – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /cɨ˧ˀ˥/
  • English Respell: choo

‍

🇰🇷 Korean

  • "편지" (pyeonji) – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /phjʌn.dʑi/
  • English Respell: pyun-jee

‍

  • "글자" (geulja) – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ɡɯl.dʑa/
  • English Respell: geul-jah

‍

🇹🇷 Turkish

  • "Mektup" – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /mektup/
  • English Respell: mek-toop

‍

  • "Harf" – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /hɑɾf/
  • English Respell: harf

‍

🇵🇰 Urdu

  • "خط" (khat) – a written communication sent to a person or group.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /xət̪/
  • English Respell: khat

‍

  • "حرف" (harf) – a symbol in an alphabet.
  • IPA Pronunciation: /ɦəɾf/
  • English Respell: harf

‍

⠁⠇⠇ ⠺⠕⠗⠙⠎

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realm
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lazy
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