English Alphabet

English Alphabet


The English Alphabet has 26 letters. In alphabetical order, they are:

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

Five of the letters are "vowels". Twenty-one are "consonants":

5 vowels a e i o u

21 consonants b c d f g h j k l m n P q r s t v w x y z



Each letter may be written as a "large letter" (capital) or "small letter".

Capital letter Small letter

A a

B b

C c

D d

E e

F f

G g

H h

I i

J j

K k

L l

M m

N n

O o

P p

Q q

R r

S s

T t

U u

V v

W w

X x

Y y

Z z



English Phonetic Spelling

When speaking on the telephone, it is sometimes useful to spell a word using English Phonetic Spelling. To spell "Club", for example, you would say: "C for Charlie, L for Lima, U for Uniform, B for Bravo."

It is very easy to learn English Phonetic Spelling. Start by spelling your name, then your company or address. Soon, you will know the whole alphabet. It also helps to remember that there are several groups of words that go together:

• Dances: Foxtrot, Tango

• Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet

• Men's first names: Charlie, Mike, Oscar, Victor

• Cities: Lima, Quebec

A Alpha

B Bravo

C Charlie

D Delta

E Echo

F Foxtrot

G Golf

H Hotel

I India

J Juliet

K Kilo

L Lima

M Mike

N November

O Oscar

P Papa

Q Quebec

R Romeo

S Sierra

T Tango

U Uniform

V Victor

W Whisky

X X-ray

Y Yankee

Z Zulu



According to the International Phonetic Association, the above list is sometimes wrongly called the "International Phonetic Alphabet".