How Many Letters Are in the Alphabet? – English, Greek, Arabic & More

How Many Letters Are There In The Alphabet: When we think about the alphabet, the first one that might come to mind for many is the English alphabet. However, languages around the world have their unique alphabets, each with a different number of letters.

In this article, we’ll explore the number of letters in various global alphabets, like English, Greek, Arabic, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and Thai, along with their pronunciation and history.

Letters in Different Alphabets

Alphabet	Number of Letters	Notes	Specific Letters
English	26	Comprising letters A to Z	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
Greek	24	–	Α, Β, Γ, Δ, Ε, Ζ, Η, Θ, Ι, Κ, Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ, Ο, Π, Ρ, Σ, Τ, Υ, Φ, Χ, Ψ, Ω
Russian	33	Cyrillic script	А, Б, В, Г, Д, Е, Ё, Ж, З, И, Й, К, Л, М, Н, О, П, Р, С, Т, У, Ф, Х, Ц, Ч, Ш, Щ, Ъ, Ы, Ь, Э, Ю, Я
Arabic	28	Some letters change form based on position in word	ا, ب, ت, ث, ج, ح, خ, د, ذ, ر, ز, س, ش, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ع, غ, ف, ق, ك, ل, م, ن, هـ, و, ي
Hebrew	22	–	א, ב, ג, ד, ה, ו, ז, ח, ט, י, כ, ל, מ, נ, ס, ע, פ, צ, ק, ר, ש, ת
Hindi (Devanagari)	47	Includes vowels and consonants	अ to ज्ञ (This is a more concise representation as listing all would be extensive)
Bengali	50	–	অ to য় (This is a concise representation; the Bengali alphabet includes vowels and consonants)
Tamil	31	12 vowels and 18 consonants plus one special character	அ to ஃ (This includes vowels, consonants, and the special character)
Thai	44	–	ก to ฮ (This is a representation of the range, but note that the Thai alphabet has consonants, vowels, and tone marks)

How many letters are there in the English language

The English alphabet, used by many countries worldwide in various forms and derivations, contains 26 letters, starting from A and ending in Z. It is a derivative of the Latin alphabet and forms the basis of many other alphabets globally.

The modern English alphabet contains:
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.

History of English Alphabet

Here is a history of the English alphabet:

• The English alphabet is descended from the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet, which developed in Egypt around 1800 BC.
• The Phoenicians adopted the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet and spread it throughout the Mediterranean region around 1000 BC.
• The Greeks adapted the Phoenician alphabet and added vowels around 700 BC, creating the first true alphabet.
• The Romans introduced their alphabet to Britain in the 1st century AD.
• The Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain in the 5th century AD and brought their own alphabet with them, the futhorc alphabet.
• The futhorc alphabet and the Roman alphabet merged over time to form the Old English alphabet.
• The Normans conquered England in the 11th century AD and introduced their own alphabet, which was based on the Carolingian minuscule script.
• The Normans gradually replaced the Old English alphabet with their own alphabet, and by the 13th century, the modern English alphabet had emerged.

Letters in the Greek Alphabet

The Greek alphabet is a writing system used to write the Greek language. It is the ancestor of the Latin and Cyrillic scripts. The Greek alphabet has 24 letters, each of which has a capital and lowercase form.

Here is a table of the Greek alphabet, with the corresponding English pronunciation of each letter:

Letter	Capital	Lowercase	Pronunciation
Alpha	Α	α	/æ/
Beta	Β	β	/b/
Gamma	Γ	γ	/g/ or /j/
Delta	Δ	δ	/d/
Epsilon	Ε	ε	/e/
Zeta	Ζ	ζ	/z/
Eta	Η	η	/e/
Theta	Θ	θ	/θ/
Iota	Ι	ι	/i/
Kappa	Κ	κ	/k/
Lambda	Λ	λ	/l/
Mu	Μ	μ	/m/
Nu	Ν	ν	/n/
Xi	Ξ	ξ	/ks/
Omicron	Ο	ο	/o/
Pi	Π	π	/p/
Rho	Ρ	ρ	/r/
Sigma	Σ	σ/ς	/s/ or /z/
Tau	Τ	τ	/t/
Upsilon	Υ	υ	/y/ or /u/
Phi	Φ	φ	/f/
Chi	Χ	χ	/kh/
Psi	Ψ	ψ	/ps/
Omega	Ω	ω	/o/

The Greek alphabet is used to write a variety of texts, including Greek literature, science, and theology. It is also used in mathematics and physics.

Here are some examples of Greek words and phrases:

• Γεια σας (Geia sas) – Hello
• Ευχαριστώ (Efcharistó) – Thank you
• Παρακαλώ (Parakalo) – You’re welcome
• Ναι (Ne) – Yes
• Όχι (Ochi) – No
• Αγαπώ σε (Agapó se) – I love you
• Καλό σας απόγευμα (Kaló sas apogevma) – Good afternoon
• Γεια σου (Geia sou) – Hello (informal)
• Τι κάνεις; (Ti kánis?) – How are you?
• Καλά, εσύ; (Kalá, esý?) – I’m good, how are you?
• Μιλάτε αγγλικά; (Miláte agglικά?) – Do you speak English?

The Greek alphabet is a beautiful and expressive writing system. It is also a very important part of Greek culture and heritage.

Letters in the Russian Alphabet

The Russian alphabet is a Cyrillic script used to write the Russian language. It has 33 letters, 21 consonants and 10 vowels. The Russian alphabet also has two signs, ь and ъ, which modify the pronunciation of preceding consonants or following vowels.

Here is a table of the Russian alphabet, with the corresponding English pronunciation of each letter:

Letter	Capital	Lowercase	Pronunciation
А	А	а	ah
Б	Б	б	b
В	В	в	v
Г	Г	г	g
Д	Д	д	d
Е	Е	е	ye
Ё	Ё	ё	yo
Ж	Ж	ж	zh
З	З	з	z
И	И	и	ee
Й	Й	й	y
К	К	к	k
Л	Л	л	l
М	М	м	m
Н	Н	н	n
О	О	о	oh
П	П	п	p
Р	Р	р	r
С	С	с	s
Т	Т	т	t
У	У	у	ooh
Ф	Ф	ф	f
Х	Х	х	kh
Ц	Ц	ц	ts
Ч	Ч	ч	ch
Ш	Ш	ш	sh
Щ	Щ	щ	shch
Ъ	Ъ	ъ	hard sign
Ь	Ь	ь	soft sign
Ы	Ы	ы	y
Э	Э	э	e
Ю	Ю	ю	yoo
Я	Я	я	ya

The Russian alphabet is used to write a variety of texts, including Russian literature, science, and technology. It is also used in government and business.

Here are some examples of Russian words and phrases:

• Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte) – Hello
• Спасибо (Spasibo) – Thank you
• Пожалуйста (Pozhaluysta) – You’re welcome
• Да (Da) – Yes
• Нет (Net) – No
• Я люблю тебя (Ya lyublyu tebya) – I love you
• Доброе утро (Dobroe utro) – Good morning
• Добрый день (Dobryy den’) – Good afternoon
• Добрый вечер (Dobryy vecher) – Good evening
• До свидания (Do svidaniya) – Goodbye

The Russian alphabet is a beautiful and complex writing system. It is also a very important part of Russian culture and heritage.

Letters in the Arabic Language

The Arabic alphabet is an abjad script used to write Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and many other languages. It has 28 letters, all of which are consonants. Short vowels are not typically written, but long vowels and diphthongs can be represented by diacritic marks.

Here is a table of the Arabic alphabet, with the corresponding English pronunciation of each letter:ting that the form of many Arabic letters changes based on their position in a word (initial, medial, final, or isolated).

Letter	Capital	Lowercase	Pronunciation
أ	أ	ا	alif (a)
ب	ب	ب	ba (b)
ت	ت	ت	ta (t)
ث	ث	ث	tha (th)
ج	ج	ج	jim (j)
ح	ح	ح	hah (h)
خ	خ	خ	kha (kh)
د	د	د	dal (d)
ذ	ذ	ذ	dhal (dh)
ر	ر	ر	ra (r)
ز	ز	ز	zay (z)
س	س	س	seen (s)
ش	ش	ش	sheen (sh)
ص	ص	ص	sad (s)
ض	ض	ض	ddad (dh)
ط	ط	ط	ta (t)
ظ	ظ	ظ	dhah (dh)
ع	ع	ع	ayn (a‘)
غ	غ	غ	ghayn (gh)
ف	ف	ف	fa (f)
ق	ق	ق	qaf (q)
ك	ك	ك	kaf (k)
ل	ل	ل	lam (l)
م	م	م	mim (m)
ن	ن	ن	nun (n)
هـ	هـ	هـ	hah (h)
و	و	و	waw (w)
ي	ي	ي	ya (y)

The Arabic alphabet is used to write a variety of texts, including Islamic literature, science, and philosophy. It is also used in government and business.

Here are some examples of Arabic words and phrases:

• مرحبا (Marhaba) – Hello
• شكرا (Shukran) – Thank you
• من فضلك (Min fadlik) – Please
• نعم (Na’am) – Yes
• لا (La) – No
• أحبك (Ahibbak) – I love you
• صباح الخير (Sabah al-khair) – Good morning
• مساء الخير (Masa’a al-khair) – Good evening
• مرحبا بك (Marhaba bik) – Welcome

The Arabic alphabet is a beautiful and complex writing system. It is also a very important part of Arab culture and heritage.

Letters in the Hebrew Alphabet

The Hebrew alphabet is an abjad script used to write Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ladino. It has 22 letters, all of which are consonants. Short vowels are not typically written, but long vowels and diphthongs can be represented by diacritic marks.

Here is a table of the Hebrew alphabet, with the corresponding English pronunciation of each letter:

Letter	Pronunciation
א	alef (a)
ב	bet (b)
ג	gimel (g)
ד	dalet (d)
ה	heh (h)
ו	vav (v)
ז	zayin (z)
ח	chet (ch)
ט	tet (t)
י	yod (y)
כ	kaf (k)
ל	lamed (l)
מ	mem (m)
נ	nun (n)
ס	samekh (s)
ע	ayin (‘)
פ	pe (p)
צ	tzade (ts)
ק	kuf (k)
ר	resh (r)
ש	shin (sh)
ת	tav (t)

The Hebrew alphabet is used to write a variety of texts, including religious texts, literature, and poetry. It is also used in government and business.

Here are some examples of Hebrew words and phrases:

• שלום (Shalom) – Hello
• תודה (Todah) – Thank you
• בבקשה (Bevakasha) – Please
• כן (Ken) – Yes
• לא (Lo) – No
• אני אוהב אותך (Ani ohev otach/otakh) – I love you
• בוקר טוב (Boker tov) – Good morning
• ערב טוב (Erev tov) – Good evening
• ברוכים הבאים (ברוכות הבאות) (Baruch ha-ba’im/Baruch ha-ba’ot) – Welcome

The Hebrew alphabet is a beautiful and complex writing system. It is also a very important part of Jewish culture and heritage.

Letters in the Hindi Alphabet (Devanagari Script)

Hindi is written in the Devanagari script, which is an abugida script. It has 14 vowels and 33 consonants. The Devanagari script is also used to write several other languages in India, including Marathi, Nepali, Sanskrit, and Sindhi.

To write Hindi in the Devanagari script, each character is used to represent a different sound. Vowel characters are written with a small dot or line above or below them. Consonant characters can be written with a special mark above or below them to change the sound.

Here are some basic principles of the Devanagari script:

• Vowels: Hindi has 14 vowels. Each vowel is used to represent a different sound.
• Consonants: Hindi has 33 consonants. Each consonant is used to represent a different sound.
• Conjuncts: In Hindi, several consonants can combine to form a new sound. These conjuncts are written with a special mark.
• Pronunciation: The vowels and consonants of Hindi can be pronounced in different ways. It is best to consult a teacher or instructor to get accurate pronunciation information.

Here are some words and phrases written in the Devanagari script:

• Namaste: नमस्ते
• Thank you: धन्यवाद
• Please: कृपया
• Yes: हाँ
• No: नहीं
• I love you: मैं तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ
• Good morning: सुप्रभात
• Good evening: शाम को
• Welcome: स्वागत है

The Devanagari script is a beautiful and effective writing system. To learn Hindi, it is important to learn the basic principles of the Devanagari script.

Letters in the Bengali Alphabet

The Bengali alphabet is a Brahmic script used to write the Bengali language. It has 47 letters, 11 vowels and 36 consonants. The Bengali alphabet is also used to write several other languages, including Assamese, Manipuri, and Sylheti.

Here is a table of the Bengali alphabet, with the corresponding English pronunciation of each letter:

Letter	Capital	Lowercase	Pronunciation
অ	অ	অ	a
আ	আ	আ	ā
ই	ই	ই	i
ঈ	ঈ	ঈ	ī
উ	উ	উ	u
ঊ	ঊ	ঊ	ū
ঋ	ঋ	ঋ	r̥
ঌ	ঌ	ঌ	r̥̄
এ	এ	এ	e
ঐ	ঐ	ঐ	ai
ও	ও	ও	o
ঔ	ঔ	ঔ	au
ক	ক	ক	k
খ	খ	খ	kh
গ	গ	গ	g
ঘ	ঘ	ঘ	gh
ঙ	ঙ	ঙ	ng
চ	চ	চ	c
ছ	ছ	ছ	ch
জ	জ	জ	j
ঝ	ঝ	ঝ	jh
ঞ	ঞ	ঞ	ny
ট	ট	ট	ṭ
ঠ	ঠ	ঠ	ṭh
ড	ড	ড	d
ঢ	ঢ	ঢ	dh
ণ	ণ	ণ	n
ত	ত	ত	t
থ	থ	থ	th
দ	দ	দ	d
ধ	ধ	ধ	dh
ন	ন	ন	n
প	প	প	p
ফ	ফ	ফ	ph
ব	ব	ব	b
ভ	ভ	ভ	bh
ম	ম	ম	m
য	য	য	y
র	র	র	r
ল	ল	ল	l
শ	শ	শ	sh
ষ	ষ	ষ	ṣ
স	স	স	s
হ	হ	হ	h
ড়	ড়	ড়	ṛ
ঢ়	ঢ়	ঢ়	ḍh
য়	য়	য়	yā

The Bengali alphabet is a beautiful and complex writing system. It is also a very important part of Bengali culture and heritage.

Letters in the Tamil Alphabet

The Tamil alphabet is an abugida script used to write the Tamil language. It has 12 vowels (உயிரெழுத்து, uyireḻuttu, “soul-letters”), 18 consonants (மெய்யெழுத்து, meyyeḻuttu, “body-letters”) and one special character, the ஃ (ஆய்த எழுத்து, āytha eḻuttu). ஃ is called “அக்கு”, akku and is classified in Tamil orthography as being neither a consonant nor a vowel. However, it is listed at the end of the vowel set.

The script is syllabic, not alphabetic. This means that each character represents a syllable, not just a single sound. The Tamil alphabet is also unique in that it has no capitalization.

Here is a table of the Tamil alphabet, with the corresponding English pronunciation of each letter:

Letter	Pronunciation
அ	a
ஆ	aa
இ	i
ஈ	ii
உ	u
ஊ	uu
எ	e
ஏ	ee
ஐ	ai
ஒ	o
ஓ	oo
ஔ	au
க	ka
ங	nga
ச	cha
ஞ	nya
ட	ta
ண	na
த	tha
ந	na
ப	pa
ம	ma
ய	ya
ர	ra
ற	ra
ல	la
ள	la
வ	va
ழ	zha
ஸ	sa
ஹ	ha

The Tamil alphabet is used to write a variety of texts, including Tamil literature, science, and religion. It is also used in government and business.

Here are some examples of Tamil words and phrases:

• வணக்கம் (Vanakkam) – Hello
• நன்றி (Nanri) – Thank you
• பரவாயில்லை (Paravaayillai) – You’re welcome
• ஆம் (Aam) – Yes
• இல்லை (Illai) – No
• உங்களை நான் நேசிக்கிறேன் (Ungalai naan nesikkiraen) – I love you
• காலை வணக்கம் (Kaalai vanakkam) – Good morning
• மாலை வணக்கம் (Maalai vanakkam) – Good evening
• வாருங்கள் (Vaarungal) – Welcome

The Tamil alphabet is a beautiful and expressive writing system. It is also a very important part of Tamil culture and heritage.

Letters in the Thai Alphabet

The Thai alphabet is an abugida script used to write the Thai language. It has 44 consonants (พยัญชนะ, phayanchana) and 16 vowel symbols (สระ, sara) that combine into at least 32 vowel forms and four tone diacritics (วรรณยุกต์ or วรรณยุต, wannayuk or wannayut) to create characters mostly representing syllables.

Here is a table of the Thai alphabet, with the corresponding English pronunciation of each letter:

Letter	Capital	Lowercase	English pronunciation
ก	ก	ก	k
ข	ข	ข	kh
ค	ค	ค	kh
ง	ง	ง	ng
จ	จ	จ	j
ฉ	ฉ	ฉ	ch
ช	ช	ช	ch
ฌ	ฌ	ฌ	ch
ญ	ญ	ญ	ny
ด	ด	ด	d
ต	ต	ต	t
ถ	ถ	ถ	th
ท	ท	ท	th
ธ	ธ	ธ	dh
น	น	น	n
บ	บ	บ	b
ป	ป	ป	p
ผ	ผ	ผ	ph
ฝ	ฝ	ฝ	f
พ	พ	พ	p
ฟ	ฟ	ฟ	f
ม	ม	ม	m
ย	ย	ย	y
ร	ร	ร	r
ล	ล	ล	l
ว	ว	ว	w
ศ	ศ	ศ	s
ษ	ษ	ษ	s
ส	ส	ส	s
ห	ห	ห	h
ฬ	ฬ	ฬ	l
อ	อ	อ	a
ฮ	ฮ	ฮ	h

The Thai alphabet is used to write a variety of texts, including Thai literature, science, and religion. It is also used in government and business.

Here are some examples of Thai words and phrases:

• สวัสดี (Sa-wat-dee) – Hello
• ขอบคุณ (Khop khun) – Thank you
• ยินดี (Yin-dee) – You’re welcome
• ใช่ (Chai) – Yes
• ไม่ (Mai) – No
• ฉันรักคุณ (Chan rak khun) – I love you
• สวัสดีตอนเช้า (Sa-wat-dee ton chao) – Good morning
• สวัสดีตอนเย็น (Sa-wat-dee ton yen) – Good evening
• ยินดีต้อนรับ (Yin-dee ton rab) – Welcome

The Thai alphabet is a beautiful and expressive writing system. It is also a very important part of Thai culture and heritage.

In conclusion, while the English alphabet’s 26 letters might be universally recognized, many alphabets around the world vary in size and structure. Understanding the nuances and diversity of global alphabets offers a fascinating glimpse into the world’s linguistic and cultural richness.

No. of Letters in Different Alphabets – FAQs

Q1. How many letters are in English alphabet?

There are 26 letters of the English alphabet: 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.

Q2. What are vowels in the English Alphabet?

The vowels in the English alphabet are A, E, I, O, and U.

Q3. What are consonants in the English Alphabet?

The consonants in the English alphabet are all the other letters except for the vowels.

Q4. What is the difference between an uppercase and a lowercase letter?

Uppercase letters, also known as capital letters, are larger and more formal than lowercase letters. Lowercase letters are used more often in everyday writing.

Q5. What is the order of the letters in the English alphabet?

The order of the letters in the English alphabet is: 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.

Q6. Which alphabet has the most letters?

The Khmer alphabet has the most letters, with 74 consonants and 33 vowels.

Q7. Which alphabet has the fewest letters?

The Rotokas alphabet has the fewest letters, with 12 consonants and 5 vowels.

Q8. Are there any alphabets without vowels?

Yes, there are a few alphabets that do not have vowels. These alphabets are called abjads, and they are typically used to write Semitic languages. In an abjad, each consonant represents a syllable, with the vowel sounds being implied.

Q9. Are there any alphabets without consonants?

No, there are no alphabets without consonants. Consonants are essential for forming syllables, so every alphabet must have at least one consonant.