letter

Everyday

1. A letter is one of the signs we use to write words, like A, b or Z. tree →
2. A letter is a written message you send to someone, usually in an envelope by post. tree →
3. In maths, a letter like x or n can stand for an unknown number. tree →
4. «To the letter» means exactly as told. tree →

In the lessons

In school, letters are counted in words and spelling lists; capital and small letters; vowels and consonants. In maths, letters stand for unknown numbers (n, x), and letters are things counted when delivered. In everyday life: writing letters, a letter from school to parents, a letter to Santa. Phrases: «capital letter», «letter box», «to the letter».

Examples

• The word «apple» has 5 letters. tree →
• The mailman delivers 120 letters a day. tree →
• She wrote 3 letters to her friends. tree →
• Let the letter n stand for the number of apples. tree →
• Start every sentence with a capital letter. tree →
• The English alphabet has 26 letters. tree →
• The school sent a letter home about the trip. tree →
• He posted a letter to his grandma in Ireland. tree →
• She followed the recipe to the letter. tree →
• What a tour that letter had made! tree →

Note

Countable. Vowel letters are a, e, i, o, u; the others are consonants. A letter is a sign; a sound is what we hear, and they do not always match (the «k» in «knee» is silent). The English alphabet has 26 letters. Maths: counted things or a name for an unknown. Trap: a stamp per letter means letters × price of a stamp.

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah the letters mean the twenty-two Hebrew letters, the building blocks of the world. In the Prophets and Writings a letter is also a written message sent from one person to another.

Interpretation. Sefer Yetzirah teaches that God made the world with the twenty-two letters, divided into three mothers, seven doubles and twelve simples. The letters sent by kings, officials and enemies in Ezra, Nehemiah and Jeremiah are ordinary messages.

Examples

• The twenty-two letters which form the stamina (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• These letters are the initials of the 12 Zodiacal (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
• == Chapter 2 == [2:1] There are twenty-two letters, stamina. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear. (Writings NEH.6.19, JPS 1917) tree →
• the letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me. (Writings EZR.4.18, JPS 1917) tree →
• And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet. (Prophets JER.29.29, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable. Vowel letters are a, e, i, o, u; the others are consonants. A letter is a sign; a sound is what we hear, and they do not always match (the «k» in «knee» is silent). The English alphabet has 26 letters. Maths: counted things or a name for an unknown. Trap: a stamp per letter means letters × price of a stamp.