Word
alphabet
Phoneticsal·pha·bet
US/ˈæɫfəˌbɛt/
UK/ˈælfəbˌɛt/
Definitions
01set of letters
n. the complete set of letters used to write a language, usually in a fixed order.
n. the standard set of letters or symbols used in a writing system to represent the phonemes of a spoken language.
“Children usually learn to sing the alphabet before they start to read.”
“The Cyrillic alphabet was adapted from the Greek script to accommodate the specific phonetic requirements of Slavic languages.”
Usage
Usually used with the definite article 'the'.
Pitfall
He is learning his alphabets.
He is learning the alphabet.
In standard English, 'alphabet' is a singular noun for the whole set. Do not use the plural form to mean individual letters.
Synonyms
02an individual letter
n. a single letter of the alphabet.
n. a single character or letter within an alphabetic system.
“The word 'apple' has five alphabets in it.”
“In certain regional dialects, it is common to hear speakers refer to the individual characters of a word as 'alphabets' rather than letters.”
Dialect
Usage
Common in Indian, Malaysian, and Singaporean English.
Teaching tip
In standard British or American English, this is considered a mistake; use 'letter' instead.
03basic elements
n. the simplest or most basic parts of a subject.
n. the fundamental principles or rudiments of a particular branch of knowledge.
“Learning to listen is the alphabet of good communication.”
“The young diplomat spent his first year abroad mastering the complex political alphabet of the region.”
Literary
Usage
Often used in the phrase 'the alphabet of'.
Teaching tip
This is a figurative use; 'the ABCs of' is a more common informal equivalent.
Synonyms
04government agent
n. a person who works for a government agency like the FBI or CIA.
n. a member of a federal law enforcement or intelligence agency, often used by those who distrust the government.
“The protesters were worried that there were alphabets in the crowd.”
“Online forums often use the term 'alphabets' to refer to federal agents perceived to be monitoring private communications.”
Slang · American English
Usage
Often used as 'alphabet boys' or 'alphabets'.
Teaching tip
This term is frequently used in online subcultures and often carries a suspicious or hostile tone toward authority.
05to arrange in order
v. to put things in the order of the alphabet.
v. to arrange or designate items in alphabetical order.
“The librarian began to alphabet the new collection of poems.”
“The clerk was instructed to alphabet the ledgers to ensure the records could be retrieved efficiently by the auditors.”
Archaic
Usage
The modern verb is 'alphabetize'.
Teaching tip
This verb form is very rare in modern English; students should use 'alphabetize' instead.
Etymology
From Middle English alphabete, borrowed from Classical Latin alphabētum, from Ancient Greek ἀλφάβητος (alphábētos), from ἄλφα (álpha) and βῆτα (bêta), the names of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, Α (A) and Β (B), lowercase forms α and β. The Greek names derived from aleph, the name of the Phoenician letter 𐤀 (ʾ, “ox”) and beth, the name of the letter 𐤁 (b, “house”), so called because they were pictograms of those objects, having developed from the Egyptian hieroglyphs F1 (𓃾) and pr (𓉐). Doublet of alfabeto.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/alphabet