Back A ACE A AF A ALS A AM A AN A ANG A Arabic A ARC A AST A AZ

A

A
A a
ɑ
Usage
Writing systemLatin script
TypeAlphabetic
Language of originLatin language
Phonetic usage
Unicode codepointU+0041, U+0061
Alphabetical position1
History
Development
Time periodc. 700 BCE – present
Descendants
Sisters
Variationsɑ
Other
Other letters commonly used witha(x), ae, eau, au
Writing directionLeft-to-right
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and  , see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet,[1][2] used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is a (pronounced /ˈ/ AY), plural aes.[nb 1]

It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter Alpha, from which it derives.[3] The uppercase version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version can be written in two forms: the double-storey a and single-storey ɑ. The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in italic type.

In English grammar, "a", and its variant "an", are indefinite articles.

  1. ^ "Latin alphabet | Definition, Description, History, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b Simpson & Weiner 1989, p. 1
  3. ^ McCarter 1974, p. 54


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