letter
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Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
letter¹
- /ˈlɛtə/ UK
- /ˈlɛtɚ/ US
- [-ɾɚ] US
- /ˈletə/ Australia
- [-ɾə] Australia
- /ˈlɛʈ(ː)əʳ/ South Asia
Rhymes with -ɛtə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”). Displaced Old English bōcstæf (literally “book staff”) in sense 1 and ǣrendġewrit (literally “message writing”) in sense 2.
noun letters · lettre
- A symbol in an alphabet. There are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet.
- A written or printed communication, usually defined as longer and more formal than a note. (Sometimes specifically one that is on paper.) I wrote a letter to my sister about my life.
- The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning (the spirit). In obedience to humane laws, we muſt obſerve the letter of the Law, where we can without doing violence to the reaſon of the Law and the intention of the Law-giver: but where they croſſe each other, the charity of the Law is to be preferred before its diſcipline, and the reaſon of it before the lett
- Literature. Benjamin Franklin was multiskilled – a scientist, politician and a man of letters.
- A division unit of a piece of law marked by a letter of the alphabet. Letter (b) constitutes an exception to this provision.
-
A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm).
Similar: short bond paper
- A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.
- Clipping of varsity letter
- A single type; type, collectively; a style of type. Under these, thro’ a garden in which is an ample fountaine, was the King's printing-house, and that famous letter so much esteem’d.
verb letters · lettering · lettered · lettre
- To print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.
- To earn a varsity letter (award). I think Mom lettered in shot put her junior year.
letter²
- /ˈlɛtə/ UK
- /ˈlɛtɚ/ US
- [-ɾɚ] US
- /ˈletə/ Australia
- [-ɾə] Australia
- /ˈlɛʈ(ː)əʳ/ South Asia
Rhymes with -ɛtə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English letere, equivalent to let + -er.
noun letters · lettor
- One who lets, or lets out. the letter of a room
- One who retards or hinders.
letter³
- /ˈlɛtə/ UK
- /ˈlɛtɚ/ US
- [-ɾɚ] US
- /ˈletə/ Australia
- [-ɾə] Australia
- /ˈlɛʈ(ː)əʳ/ South Asia
Rhymes with -ɛtə(ɹ)
noun letters
- Alternative form of litter
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: missive, varsity letter, alphabetic character, writing, text, write, alphabetic, courier, alphabetical, written, print, alphabet, book, memorandum, memo, bulletin
Translations
Every language
noun a symbol in an alphabet
| Español | letra, carácter |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 문자 munja, 글씨 geulssi, 글자 geulja |
| 日本語 | 文字 moji, 字 ji |
| 中文 | 字母 zìmǔ, 字 zì, 文字 wénzì |
| हिन्दी | अक्षर akṣar, लिपि lipi, वर्ण varṇ, आखर ākhar, अखर akhar |
| Kiswahili | herufi |
| Português | letra |
| Français | lettre, caractère |
| Deutsch | Buchstabe, Letter |
| Italiano | lettera, carattere, lettera dell'alfabeto |
| Ελληνικά | γράμμα grámma |
| Română | literă, caracter |
| Русский | бу́ква búkva, ли́тера lítera |
| Tiếng Việt | chữ cái, kí tự |
| العربية | حَرْف ḥarf |
| עברית | אוֹת ot |
noun written message — see also missive
| Español | carta |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 편지 pyeonji |
| 日本語 | 手紙 tegami |
| 中文 | 信 xìn, 信件 xìnjiàn, 書信 /书信 shūxìn, 尺牘 /尺牍 chǐdú |
| हिन्दी | पत्र patra, चिट्ठी ciṭṭhī, लेख lekh, उत्तर uttar, पत्रिका patrikā |
| Kiswahili | barua, waraka |
| Português | carta |
| Français | lettre |
| Deutsch | Brief |
| Italiano | lettera |
| Ελληνικά | επιστολή epistolí, γράμμα grámma |
| Română | scrisoare |
| Русский | письмо́ pisʹmó, посла́ние poslánije |
| Tiếng Việt | thư |
| العربية | رِسَالَة risāla, مَكْتُوب maktūb |
| עברית | מִכְתָּב mikhtáv, אִיגֶּרֶת 'igéret |
Talk about this word "letter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/letter. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. letter. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/letter "letter." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/letter.Cite this
@misc{letter_2026,
title = {letter},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/letter},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
