How Many Letters in the Alphabet? 26 A-Z Explained

The English alphabet contains 26 letters from A to Z. However, throughout history, that number has shifted — once reaching 27 when the ampersand was taught as a letter. Today, English uses the standard 26-letter Latin alphabet, but global writing systems range from modest 26-letter sets to massive 72-character systems.

Quick snapshot: English alphabet: 26 letters · Historically included 27th (ampersand) · Vowels: 5 · Largest in current use: Cambodian (72)

How many letters are there in the alphabet?

The English alphabet contains 26 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z. Each letter has an uppercase and lowercase form, giving 52 distinct characters in total when writing.

According to Worldometers, “The English alphabet consists of 26 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z.” This standard has been in place since the 16th century, though the alphabet itself traces its roots to ancient Near Eastern scripts.

English alphabet A to Z

The alphabet in order consists of five vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and twenty-one consonants. The sequence has remained unchanged since the 16th century when J, U, and W were distinguished from I, V, and the double-V.

Letters in order

The alphabetical sequence from A to Z covers all 26 letters in a specific order that forms the foundation of dictionary organization, sorting systems, and educational instruction worldwide.

Are there 26 or 27 letters in the alphabet?

Today, the standard English alphabet contains 26 letters. However, historically it included 27 letters when the ampersand (&) was taught as part of the sequence after Z.

Modern standard

Modern English uses exactly 26 letters: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. This count became standard in the 16th century when letters U and J were distinguished from V and I, and W became independent from double-U.

Historical context

In the 19th century, schoolchildren in the United States and Britain recited the alphabet including the ampersand. The sequence ran “X, Y, Z, and per se and” — meaning “& by itself is ‘and’” — which over time slurred into “ampersand.” According to Merriam-Webster, “In the 19th century, ampersand was the 27th letter, from ‘& per se and’.”

“‘X, Y, Z, and per se and,’ since per se means ‘by itself’.”

— Traditional schoolchildren recitation, Scribendi

What was the 27th letter in the alphabet?

The 27th letter was the ampersand (&) — a symbol representing the Latin word “et” meaning “and.” This character held letter status in English for centuries before being demoted to a symbol.

The ampersand (&)

The ampersand originated as a ligature of the Latin letters E and T, forming the word “et” (and). This typographic shorthand appeared in Roman cursive writing as early as the 1st century AD. The oldest known ampersand exists as graffiti in Pompeii, pre-dating 79 AD.

According to Britannica, “The term ampersand first appeared in the English language in 1835, taught as the 27th letter to 19th-century British students.” The symbol gained popularity during the Renaissance, when Claude Garamond gave it its modern form in the 16th century.

“‘And per se, and,’ or, muttered quickly by a disinterested student, ‘ampersand.’”

— Now I Know, And, the 27th Letter of the Alphabet

Recitation history

Schoolchildren traditionally recited the alphabet through Z, then said “and per se and” — meaning “the symbol & by itself means ‘and’.” This phrase gradually merged into the single word “ampersand” by 1837, when the term entered common usage.

The famous nursery rhyme “X, Y, Z, and ampersand, All wished for a piece in hand” reflects how the ampersand was integrated into alphabet instruction in both Britain and America during the 19th century.

Why was the 27th letter removed?

The ampersand was removed from alphabet instruction as educational standards evolved and printing practices standardized. By the end of the 19th century, most English-speaking schools had dropped the ampersand from alphabet recitation.

Shift in education

As formal education standardized in the late 1800s, the alphabet instruction narrowed to the 26 letters that matched dictionary ordering and printing conventions. The ampersand, though widely used in writing, no longer fit the alphabetical sequence taught to children.

By end of 19th century

By the late 1800s, the ampersand was relegated to symbol status rather than letter status. However, it retained its position at the end of the ASCII character set and continued appearing in alphabetical lists in some contexts well into the 20th century.

Which alphabet has 72 letters?

The Cambodian (Khmer) alphabet holds the title for the largest alphabet in current use, containing 72 letters. This writing system traces its origins to the Brahmi script and developed into its current form around the 7th century.

Cambodian (Khmer) alphabet

The Khmer alphabet serves the Cambodian language and is notable for its complexity. According to the Wikipedia article on the Khmer alphabet, the script contains 33 consonants and 24 vowels, though the total character count reaches 72 when combining independent vowel forms and diacritical marks.

Largest in current use

No other writing system in active use today matches the Khmer alphabet’s size. The Armenian alphabet has 38 letters, the Georgian alphabet has 33, and the Cyrillic script (used for Russian and other languages) contains 33 letters — all significantly smaller than Cambodia’s 72-character system.

“The Khmer script… contains a large number of letters, with a total of 72 characters in the full alphabet.”

— Wikipedia: Khmer alphabet

Alphabet Evolution Timeline

The path from ancient scripts to the modern 26-letter English alphabet spans millennia:

The implication: Each transition in alphabet history involved both addition and subtraction — letters entering, symbols becoming letters, and eventually some characters being relegated to secondary status.

Global Alphabet Sizes Compared

Writing systems worldwide vary dramatically in size:

The pattern: Alphabet size correlates with language complexity — phonetically richer languages often require more characters to represent their sounds.