Appendix:English alphabet
Main category: English letters
The English language uses the twenty-six Latin script basic 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.
Diacritics edit
Certain classes of words are, or were formerly, written with diacritics. One such class is certain words borrowed from other languages, including the words café, façade, Führer and naïve.
Another class uses diaeresis to indicate in a pairing of identical vowels that the second vowel is to be pronounced separately from the first. In this case, the second vowel is either pronounced differently, as in reëxamine, or just pronounced separately with a slight hiatus or y sound, as in reëlect.
Ligatures edit
This list of words that may be spelled with a ligature in English encompasses words which have letters that may, in modern usage, either be rendered as two distinct letters or as a single, combined letter. This includes AE being rendered as Æ (an æsc or ash) and OE being rendered as Œ (an œthel). Note that when a c is before a ligature, it makes the sound /s/ rather than /k/ as might be expected (because it has the pronunciation of e).
The use of the œ and æ is obsolescent in modern English, and has been used predominantly in British English. It is usually used to evoke archaism, or in literal quotations of historic sources.
The fl and fi ligatures, among others, are still commonly used to render modern text in fine typography. Programs such as QuarkXpress and Adobe InDesign can be configured to automatically replace the individual characters with the appropriate ligatures.
Æ edit
Main category: English terms spelled with Æ
Note that some words contain an ae which may not be written æ because the etymology is not from the Greek -αι- or Latin -ae- diphthongs. These include:
- In instances of aer (starting or within a word) where it comes from the Latin āēr (“air”), from Greek ἀήρ (aḗr), e.g. aerial, aeroplane.
- When ae is found in a word that comes from some other language other than Latin or Greek, e.g. Gaelic, laendler.
| Non-ligature form | Ligature form | Other forms | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|
| aeciospore | æciospore | — | combination of New Latin aecium and New Latin spora→spore (acium+spore) |
| aecidium | æcidium | (aecium) | New Latin aecidium, from Greek αἰκῐ́ᾱ (aikíā) |
| aecium | æcium | (aecidium) | New Latin aecidium, from Greek αἰκῐ́ᾱ (aikíā) |
| aedicule | ædicule | edicule (American English) | Latin aedicula |
| aegis | Ægis | Egis (American English) | Greek αἰγῐ́ς (aigís) |
| Aeolian | Æolian | Eolian (American English) | Greek Αἰολίς (Aiolís) |
| Aeolis | Æolis | — | Greek Αἰολίς (Aiolís) |
| aeon | æon | eon (American English) | Greek αἰών (aiṓn). |
| aerose | Ærose | — | Latin aerōsus, from aes |
| aerugite | ærugite | (aerugo) | Latin aerūgō, from aes |
| aerugo | ærugo | (aerugite) | Latin aerūgō, from aes |
| aeschynite | æschynite | eschynite (American English) | Greek αἰσχῡ́νω (aiskhū́nō) |
| aesculin | æsculin | esculin (American English) | Latin aesculīnus |
| aesculetin | æsculetin | esculetin (American English) | Latin aesculētum |
| aesthetic | æsthetic | esthetic (American English) | Ancient Greek αἰσθητῐκός (aisthētikós) |
| aestival | æstival | estival (American English) | Latin aestīvālis |
| aestivation | æstivation | estivation (American English) | Latin aestīvō |
| Aether | Æther | ether (American English) | Greek αἰθήρ (aithḗr) |
| aethereal | æthereal or ætherial | ethereal (American English), etherial (American English - rare), aetherial (British English - rare) | Greek αἰθέρῐος (aithérios) |
| aethrioscope | Æthrioscope | Ethrioscope | Greek αἴθριος (aíthrios) |
| aetiology | ætiology | etiology (American English) | Greek αἰτιολογίᾱ (aitiologíā) |
| algae | algæ | algas[1] (very rare) | Latin algae |
| ambilevous | ambilævous | — | From Latin ambi- (“both”) + laevus (“left”), a calque of Greek ἀμφᾰρίστερος (ampharísteros) |
| anaemia | anæmia | anemia (AmE) | Greek ᾰ̓ναιμίᾱ (anaimíā) |
| anaesthesia | anæsthesia | anesthesia (British English) | Greek ᾰ̓ναισθησίᾱ (anaisthēsíā) |
| antennae | antennæ | antennas[1] | Latin antennae |
| archaeology | archæology | archeology (American English) | Greek ἀρχαιολογίᾱ (arkhaiologíā) |
| Athenaeum | Athenæum | Atheneum (American English) | Greek Ἀθήναιον (Athḗnaion) |
| azotaemia | azotæmia | azotemia (American English) | |
| bacteraemia | bacteræmia | bacteremia (American English) | Greek βακτήρῐον (baktḗrion) + αἷμᾰ (haîma) |
| Caesar | Cæsar | Cesar (American English – rare) | Latin Caesar |
| caesium[2] | cæsium | cesium (American English) | Latin caesium |
| chaetophorous | chætophorous | chetophorous | Greek χαίτη (khaítē) + φορός (phorós) |
| curriculum vitae | curriculum vitæ | — | Latin curriculum vītae |
| daedal | dædal | dedal | Greek δαίδαλος (daídalos) |
| daemon | dæmon | demon (American English) | Greek δαίμων (daímōn) |
| Egypt | Ægypt | Aegypt (Archaic) | Greek Αἴγυπτος (Aíguptos) |
| encyclopaedia | encyclopædia | encyclopedia (American English) | |
| era | æra | aera (British English - rare) | Late Latin aera, probably from Latin aes |
| et cetera | et cætera | et caetera, etc., &c. | Latin phrase |
| Ethiopia | Æthiopia | Aethiopia | Greek Αἰθιοπίᾱ (Aithiopíā) |
| Eudaemonic | eudæmonic | eudemonic | |
| faeces | fæces | feces (American English) | Latin faex |
| fairy | færie | faerie | |
| formulae | formulæ | formulas[1] | |
| fraenum | frænum | Frenum | |
| Gaea | Gæa | Gaia | |
| haemoglobin | hæmoglobin | hemoglobin (American English) | |
| haemolysis | hæmolysis | hemolysis (American English) | |
| haemophilia | hæmophilia | hemophilia (American English) | |
| haemorrhage | hæmorrhage | hemorrhage (American English) | |
| haemorrhoid | hæmorrhoid | hemorrhoid (American English) | |
| hyena | hyæna | hyaena | |
| hypaethral | hypæthral | hypethral | |
| ischaemia | ischæmia | ischemia (American English) | |
| judaeo | judæo | judeo | |
| judaeophobe | judæophobe | judeophobe (American English) | |
| leukaemia | leukæmia | leukemia (American English) | |
| medieval | mediæval | mediaeval (British English – rare) | |
| nebulae | nebulæ | nebulas[1] | Latin nebula |
| nymphae | nymphæ | nymphs | |
| nymphaea | nymphæa | — | |
| orthopaedic | orthopædic | orthopedic (American English) | |
| paean | pæan | pean (American English) | |
| paeon | pæon | — | |
| pedagogue | pædagogue or pædagog | pedagog (American English), (paedagogue and paedagog exist but are both somewhat archaic) | |
| pederasty | pæderasty | paederasty | |
| paediatrics | pædiatrics | pediatrics (American English) | |
| paediatrician | pædiatrician | pediatrician (American English) | |
| paediatrist | pædiatrist | pediatrist (American English) | |
| paedophile | pædophile | pedophile (American English) | |
| palaeobotany | palæobotany | paleobotany (American English) | |
| palaeocene | palæocene | paleocene (American English) | |
| palaeoclimatology | palæoclimatology | paleoclimatology (American English) | |
| palaeography | palæography | palaeography (American English) | |
| palaeolithic | palæolithic | paleolithic (American English) | |
| palaeography | palæography | paleography (American English) | |
| palaeontology | palæontology | paleontology (American English) | |
| palaeozoic | palæozoic | paleozoic (American English) | |
| Panacaea | Panacæa | Panacea (American English) | |
| Pangaea | Pangæa | Pangea (American English) | |
| personae | personæ | personas[1] | |
| premium | præmium | praemium | |
| primeval | primæval | primaeval (British English - rare) | |
| Quaestor | Quæstor | — | |
| Rhaetia | Rhætia | — | |
| septicaemia | septicæmia | septicemia (American English) | |
| scarabaeid | scarabæid | — | |
| scarabaeoid | scarabæoid | — | |
| synaesthesia | synæsthesia | synesthesia (American English) | |
| toxaemia | toxæmia | toxemia (American English) | |
| uraemia | uræmia | uremia (American English) | |
| viraemia | viræmia | viremia (American English) |
Πedit
Main category: English terms spelled with Œ
| Common form | Ligature form | Other forms | Etymology |
|---|---|---|---|
| amenorrhoea | amenorrhœa | amenorrhea (American English) | |
| amoeba | amœba | ameba (American English—rare) | Greek ἀμοιβή (amoibḗ) |
| apnea | apnœa | apnoea (British English) | Greek ἄπνοιᾰ (ápnoia) |
| coeliac | cœliac | celiac (American English) | Greek κοιλιακός (koiliakós) |
| diarrhea | diarrhœa | diarrhoea (British English) | Greek δῐᾰ́ρροιᾰ (diárrhoia) |
| ecology | œcology | oecology | |
| economy | œconomy | oeconomy | |
| ecumenism | œcumenism | oecumenism, rarely ocumenism | |
| esophagus | œsophagus | oesophagus (British English) | |
| estrogen | œstrogen | oestrogen (British English) | |
| estrus | œstrus | oestrus | |
| federal | fœderal | foederal (archaic; thus virtually never found) | Latin foederō |
| fetid | fœtid | foetid (British English) | Latin foetidus |
| fetor | fœtor | foetor (British English) | Latin foetor |
| fetus | fœtus | foetus (British English) | Latin foetus |
| gonorrhoea | gonorrhœa | gonorrhea (American English) | Greek γονόρροιᾰ (gonórrhoia) |
| homeomorphism | homœomorphism | homoeomorphism (British English) | Greek ὁμοιόμορφος (homoiómorphos) |
| homeopath | homœopath | homoeopath (British English) | Greek ὁμοιοπᾰθής (homoiopathḗs) |
| homeostasis | homœostasis | homoeostasis (British English) | Greek ὅμοιος (hómoios) + στᾰ́σῐς (stásis) |
| homoeozoic | homœozoic | homeozoic (American English—rare) | Greek ὅμοιος (hómoios) + ζωϊκός (zōïkós) |
| hors d'oeuvre | hors d'œuvre | — | French hors d’œuvre |
| logorrhoea | logorrhœa | logorrhea (American English) | |
| maneuver | manœuvre | manoeuvre (British English) | French manœuvre, from Old French maneuvre, from Medieval Latin manuopera, from Latin manū operārī |
| Economics | œconomics | oeconomics | |
| oedema | œdema | edema (American English) | |
| Oedipus | Œdipus | Oidipus (rare), Ødipus | Greek Οἰδῐ́πους (Oidípous) |
| oeillade | œillade | ||
| oenology | œnology | oenology, rarely enology (American English) | Greek οἰνολογίᾱ (oinologíā) |
| oenomel | œnomel | ||
| oenothera | œnothera | ||
| oeuvre | œuvre | — | French œuvre, from Old French uevre, from Latin opera |
| onomatopoeia | onomatopœia | ||
| penology | pœnology | ||
| phoenix | phœnix | phenix (rare) | |
| subpoena | subpœna | subpena (rare) | |
| tragedy | tragœdy | tragoedy |
References edit
Also, ligatures may be used in personal names as well, ie. Maecenus as Mæcenus, or Bartholomaeus as Bartholomæus, etc.