An alphabet is a set of letters usually presented in a fixed order which is used for writing the words of a particular language orgroup of languages.
The modern Russian alphabet has 31 letters.
By two and a half he knew the alphabet.
Synonyms: letters, script, writing system, syllabary More Synonyms of alphabet
alphabet in British English
(ˈælfəˌbɛt)
noun
1.
a set of letters or other signs used in a writing system, usually arranged in a fixed order, each letter or sign being used to represent one or sometimes more than one phoneme in the language being transcribed
2.
any set of symbols or characters, esp one representing sounds of speech
3.
basic principles or rudiments, as of a subject
Word origin
C15: from Late Latin alphabētum, from Greek alphabētos, from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet; see alpha, beta
alphabet in American English
(ˈælfəˌbɛt)
noun
1.
the letters of a language, arranged in a traditional order
2.
a system of characters, signs, or symbols used to indicate letters or speech sounds
3.
the first elements or principles, as of a branch of knowledge
Word origin
LL(Ec) alphabetum < LGr alphabētos < Gr alpha + bēta, the first two letters of the Greek alphabet
Examples of 'alphabet' in a sentence
alphabet
It is especially handy if the country uses another alphabet.
The Sun (2017)
The alphabet letter obviously refers to its zone on the national grid.
Brennan, J. H. A Guide to Megalithic Ireland (1992)
Imagine the performance in each match represented as a letter of the alphabet.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Each zone is officially identified by a letter of the alphabet.
Brennan, J. H. A Guide to Megalithic Ireland (1992)
Basic skills they fail to master include writing their names and reciting the letters of the alphabet.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The controversial restructuring simply stirred the alphabet soup of bureaucracy.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He said there were two kinds of alphabet soup.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
One does not learn the alphabet through experience but through formal education.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
In my country learning about football is like learning the alphabet.
The Sun (2009)
He learned the alphabet of arch and aisle roaming the boundless castle that was home.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
Enter them in the key grid and the main grid and check the letters on the alphabet list as you complete them.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
As different vitamins were discovered, they were named after the letters of the alphabet.
Chapman, C. & Horsley, M. & Small, E. Technology Basic Facts (1990)
The classrooms were named after letters of the Greek alphabet.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
There's a bit of an alphabet soup going on in the beauty world at the moment.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I am only four letters through the alphabet.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Thus it is nearly impossible to find a box in the cereal aisle that does not contain an alphabet soup of added vitamins and minerals.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The system of technical education was an alphabet soup of qualifications, most of which were not valued by employers.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He saw that the Greek alphabet was not just a tool, but a work of art.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The quality of training, subject to an alphabet soup of qualifications, is mixed.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Which letter of the alphabet occurs most frequently in the line'To be or not to be,that is the question?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
As his first birthday came and went I was bursting with pride as he learned his alphabet, numbers and nursery rhymes.
The Sun (2015)
TAKE TWO portions of alphabet soup and call me next week.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
alphabet
British English: alphabet /ˈælfəˌbɛt/ NOUN
The alphabet is the set of letters in a fixed order which is used for writing the words of a language.
The modern Russian alphabet has 31 letters.
American English: alphabet
Arabic: أَبْجَدِيَّة
Brazilian Portuguese: alfabeto
Chinese: 字母表
Croatian: abeceda
Czech: abeceda
Danish: alfabet
Dutch: alfabet
European Spanish: abecedario
Finnish: aakkoset
French: alphabet
German: Alphabet
Greek: αλφάβητο
Italian: alfabeto
Japanese: アルファベット
Korean: 알파벳
Norwegian: alfabet
Polish: alfabet
European Portuguese: alfabeto
Romanian: alfabet
Russian: алфавит
Latin American Spanish: abecedario
Swedish: alfabete
Thai: ตัวอักษร
Turkish: alfabe
Ukrainian: абетка
Vietnamese: bảng chữ cái
All related terms of 'alphabet'
alphabet soup
a confusing series of acronyms or abbreviations
finger alphabet
a series of shapes made by the fingers that indicate letters of an alphabet and can be used in finger spelling for deaf people
Latin alphabet
the alphabet used for writing in Latin by the ancient Romans , from which most modern European alphabets are derived : it consisted of 23 letters ( J , U , and W were added later)
manual alphabet
a system of communication , esp. one for deaf persons, in which positions of the fingers indicate the letters of the alphabet
Morse alphabet
the set of symbols used to represent letters in Morse code
Roman alphabet
The Roman alphabet is the alphabet that was used by the Romans in ancient times and that is used for writing most western European languages, including English.
Cyrillic alphabet
the alphabet derived from that of the Greeks, supposedly by Saint Cyril , for the writing of Slavonic languages: now used primarily for Russian, Bulgarian , and the Serbian dialect of Serbo-Croat
phonetic alphabet
a list of the words used in communications to represent the letters of the alphabet , as in E for Echo , T for Tango
Initial Teaching Alphabet
a 44 letter phonetic alphabet used mainly in the 1960s for teaching children to read and write
International Phonetic Alphabet
a series of signs and letters propagated by the Association Phon étique Internationale for the representation of human speech sounds. It is based on the Roman alphabet but supplemented by modified signs or symbols from other writing systems, and is usually employed in its revised form of 1951
Chinese translation of 'alphabet'
alphabet
(ˈælfəbɛt)
n
the alphabet字母表 (zìmǔbiǎo)
(noun)
Definition
a set of letters in fixed conventional order, used in a writing system
By the age of two-and-a-half, he knew the alphabet.
Synonyms
letters
script
She wrote the letter in an elegant script.
writing system
syllabary
subject word lists
See terms relating to alphabetsSee ArabicSee GreekSee HebrewSee code words