Alphabets
The English alphabet
Meet all 26 letters of the English alphabet, hear how they sound and see them in simple words.
About English
English is written in the Latin alphabet, the most widely used alphabet in the world, from left to right. Each of its 26 letters has a capital form, used at the start of sentences and names, and a small form. Unlike Indian scripts, English is not fully phonetic: one letter can make several sounds – the "a" in cat, cake and car – and the same sound can be spelled in different ways. Learning the letter names and their most common sounds is the first step to reading English.
- 26
- letters
- 5
- vowels
- 21
- consonants
- L → R
- writing direction
Vowels
Five letters are vowels. Each can make a short and a long sound. Tap a letter to hear it.
Consonants
The other 21 letters are consonants. Tap a letter to hear it.
B to H
J to N
P to T
V to Z
Y is a consonant in yes but a vowel in my and gym. In India and the UK Z is called "zed"; in the USA "zee".
Ready to type in English?
Use the on-screen keyboard to write these letters, or translate your first sentence.