Letters: meaning, definitions and examples

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letters

 

[ ˈlɛtərz ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

written communication

Letters are symbols or characters that are used to represent speech sounds. They are used in alphabets, words, and sentences to convey meaning.

Synonyms

alphabets, characters, symbols

Examples of usage

  • She wrote a letter to her friend.
  • The word 'cat' is made up of three letters.
Context #2 | Noun

correspondence

Letters are written messages that are sent to someone. They can be formal or informal and are often used for communication.

Synonyms

communication, correspondence, message

Examples of usage

  • I received a letter from my grandmother.
  • The company sent a letter of recommendation to the employee.
Context #3 | Noun

literal symbol

Letters can also refer to the literal symbols used in writing or printing. They can be uppercase or lowercase and are part of the alphabet.

Synonyms

alphabets, characters, symbols

Examples of usage

  • The book was printed in large letters for easy reading.
  • The sign had bold letters that caught my attention.

Translations

Translations of the word "letters" in other languages:

🇵🇹 letras

🇮🇳 अक्षर

🇩🇪 Buchstaben

🇮🇩 huruf

🇺🇦 літери

🇵🇱 litery

🇯🇵 文字 (もじ)

🇫🇷 lettres

🇪🇸 letras

🇹🇷 harfler

🇰🇷 글자

🇸🇦 أحرف

🇨🇿 písmena

🇸🇰 písmená

🇨🇳 字母 (zìmǔ)

🇸🇮 črke

🇮🇸 stafir

🇰🇿 әріптер

🇬🇪 ასოები

🇦🇿 hərflər

🇲🇽 letras

Word origin

The word 'letters' originated from the Old French word 'lettre', which in turn came from the Latin word 'littera'. The concept of using symbols to represent speech sounds dates back to ancient civilizations such as the Phoenicians and Egyptians, who developed writing systems based on symbols. Over time, alphabets were created with a set of letters representing specific sounds. Letters have played a crucial role in communication and literacy throughout history, evolving from pictograms to the complex written language systems we use today.

See also: lettering, unlettered.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #1,102, this word is part of core intermediate vocabulary. It appears regularly in various contexts and is essential for natural-sounding English.