Alphabet, Letter, Vowel, Consonant, and Semi-Vowel are common terms to us. There are 26 letters in English alphabet.
What is Alphabet in the English grammar?
In English grammar, an alphabet is a set of letters. It includes 26 letters (A – Z). All 26 letters together are called the Alphabet.
How many letters are there in English alphabet?
There are 26 letters in English alphabet. Each letter can be written as a capital letter or a small letter.
List of 26 Letters :
Capital Letters – A to Z :
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
Small Letters – a to z :
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
Capital letters are also known as uppercase letters and Small letters are also known as lowercase letters.
Vowel :
A vowel is a letter that is pronounced without the help of other letters. It is a speech sound that is pronounced without any obstacle in the vocal tract.
How many vowels are there in English alphabet ?
There are 5 vowels in English alphabet.
Vowels are :
- a, e, i,o, u
Sometimes w and y are used as vowels.
Consonant :
A consonant is a letter that is pronounced with the help of vowels. All the letters except vowels are consonants. Consonants are pronounced by obstructing the flow of air in the vocal tract. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a consonant as “a speech sound made by completely or partly stopping the flow of air through the mouth or nose”.
How many consonants are there in English alphabet ?
There are 21 consonants in English alphabet.
Consonants are :
- b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z
Semi-vowel :
There are two semi-vowels in English alphabet.
Semi-vowels are :
- w, y
These two letters sometimes act as vowels and sometimes consonants.
We can follow these simple rules :
- When these two letters sit in the middle or end of word, they are called Vowels.
For example,
In the words ‘Cow’, ‘Boy’, w and y are vowels as they sit at the end of the words. - When these two letters sit at the beginning of word, they are called Consonants.
For example,
In the words ‘Yes’, ‘Water’, w and y are consonants because they sit at the beginning of the words.
FAQs
Q1. How many letters are there in English alphabet ?
Answer : There are 26 letters in English alphabet.
Q2. How many vowels are there in English alphabet ?
Answer : There are 5 vowels in English alphabet. Vowels are a, e, i, o, u. Sometimes w and y are used as vowels.
Q3. How many consonants are there in English alphabet ?
Answer : There are 21 consonants in English alphabet. They are b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.
Q4. How many semi-vowels are there in English alphabet ?
Answer : There are 2 semi-vowels in English alphabet. They are w and y.