Meaning & use
alphabet
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Meanings
nouncountable
A set of letters or symbols in a fixed order, used to write a language.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an alphabet', 'the English alphabet', 'two alphabets'.
Patterns
- the ... alphabet
- learn the alphabet
- in the alphabet
Children usually learn the alphabet before they learn to read.
The English alphabet has 26 letters, from A to Z.
Many languages use the same alphabet but pronounce the letters differently.
nouncountable
A system of writing based on such a set of letters.
Grammar: Countable; often used with a modifier: the Cyrillic alphabet, the Roman alphabet.
Patterns
- the ... alphabet
- a different alphabet
Russian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet, not the Latin one.
Greek uses its own alphabet, which has been in use for thousands of years.
Word forms
| plural | alphabets |
|---|
Common combinations
- the English alphabet
- The English alphabet starts with An and ends with Z.
- learn the alphabet
- My little sister is learning the alphabet at school.
- alphabetical order
- Please put these names in alphabetical order.
- the Cyrillic alphabet
- The Cyrillic alphabet is used for Russian and several other languages.
Synonyms and how they differ
- writing system
- A broader term that includes alphabets, syllabaries, and character-based systems; an alphabet is one specific type.
Word family
- alphabetic adjective
- Relating to an alphabet; arranged in the order of the letters.
- alphabetical adjective
- Arranged in the order of the letters of the alphabet.
- alphabetically adverb
- In alphabetical order.
- alphabetize verb
- To arrange items in alphabetical order.
Commonly confused: alphabet or letter?
alphabet vs letter
A letter is one single symbol, like 'A' or 'B'; the alphabet is the whole set of letters in order.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'alphabet' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 correctly uses 'alphabet' as a countable noun for the set of letters. Option 0 is wrong because you need 'the alphabet' or 'alphabetical order'. Option 2 is awkward; you would say 'a new letter'. Option 3 uses the verb 'alphabetize', not the noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “alphabet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.