letter

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A written or printed message that you send to someone, usually by mail.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a letter, two letters, etc. Use write a letter to someone or send someone a letter.

   Patterns

   • write a letter to someone
   • send someone a letter
   • get/receive a letter from someone
   • a letter about something

   I wrote a letter to my grandmother thanking her for the gift.

   She received a letter from the bank yesterday.

   He sent a letter of complaint to the company.

2. 2nouncountable

   A symbol used in writing that stands for a sound, such as A, B, or C.

   Grammar: Countable: the alphabet has 26 letters. Often used in the phrase the letter A/B/C.

   Patterns

   • the letter A/B/C
   • a capital/small letter
   • spell something with a letter

   The word 'cat' has three letters.

   Please write your name in capital letters.

   The letter 'e' is the most common letter in English.

Word forms

Common combinations

write a letter

I need to write a letter to the school.

send a letter

She sent a letter to her friend in Canada.

receive a letter

We received a letter from the city council.

a letter of complaint

He wrote a letter of complaint about the service.

capital letter

Start each sentence with a capital letter.

cover letter

Don't forget to attach a cover letter to your resume.

Synonyms and how they differ

note

A note is usually short and informal, while a letter is often longer and more formal.

message

A message can be spoken, written, or electronic; a letter is specifically a written message sent by mail.

correspondence

Correspondence refers to letters in general, not one single letter.

Word family

lettering noun

The letters written or carved on something.

lettered adjective

Having letters written on it, or educated (rare).

Commonly confused: letter or latter? letter or liter?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “letter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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