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First letter: meaning, definitions and examples

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first letter

[ fɜːst ˈlɛtər ]

Noun

^{Context #1 | Noun}

communication

The initial letter of a word or name. It is often written in uppercase at the beginning of a sentence.

Synonyms

capital letter, initial letter.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
first letter	Redundant entry for the phrase. The first letter of her name is J. Early learning books often teach children to recognize the first letters of words.
initial letter	Use when focusing on the first letter of each word in a phrase or series of words, often in the context of abbreviations or initials. The initial letters of 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration' are NASA. Please highlight the initial letters of each word.
capital letter	Use when specifying that a letter should be uppercase or when discussing proper nouns, titles, or the beginning of sentences. Your name should start with a capital letter. Every new sentence begins with a capital letter.

Word

Description / Examples

first letter

Redundant entry for the phrase.

The first letter of her name is J.
Early learning books often teach children to recognize the first letters of words.

initial letter

Use when focusing on the first letter of each word in a phrase or series of words, often in the context of abbreviations or initials.

The initial letters of 'National Aeronautics and Space Administration' are NASA.
Please highlight the initial letters of each word.

capital letter

Use when specifying that a letter should be uppercase or when discussing proper nouns, titles, or the beginning of sentences.

Your name should start with a capital letter.
Every new sentence begins with a capital letter.

Examples of usage

The first letter of the word 'apple' is A.
When writing a formal letter, always start with the first letter of your name in uppercase.
She recognized him by the first letter of his last name.

Translations

Translations of the word "first letter" in other languages:

🇵🇹 primeira letra

🇮🇳 पहला अक्षर

🇩🇪 erster Buchstabe

🇮🇩 huruf pertama

🇺🇦 перша літера

🇵🇱 pierwsza litera

🇯🇵 最初の文字

🇫🇷 première lettre

🇪🇸 primera letra

🇹🇷 ilk harf

🇰🇷 첫 글자

🇸🇦 أول حرف

🇨🇿 první písmeno

🇸🇰 prvé písmeno

🇨🇳 第一个字母

🇸🇮 prva črka

🇮🇸 fyrsti stafur

🇰🇿 алғашқы әріп

🇬🇪 პირველი ასო

🇦🇿 ilk hərf

🇲🇽 primera letra

Etymology

The term 'first letter' originated in the late 14th century from Middle English. It refers to the initial letter of a word or name, which is often capitalized at the beginning of a sentence for clarity and emphasis. The use of first letters has been a common practice in written communication for centuries, aiding in readability and identification of key terms. Today, first letters play a crucial role in typography and digital text formatting.