The Most Popular Letter, Ranked

Choose the letter you think is the most popular!

Author: Gregor Krambs
Updated on Apr 27, 2024 06:42
In a world brimming with written communication, each letter holds its unique significance and impact. From crafting tweets to authoring books, the letters we choose can sway perceptions and stir emotions. Ranking these script elements shows us which are cherished above others and reveals trends in our linguistic preferences over time. This dynamic tally invites you to participate in shaping the outcome by casting your votes. By engaging in this process, not only do you contribute to a communal verdict, but you also gain insight into collective preferences. It's a pulse check on the popularity of our alphabetic characters, reflecting how and why we value them.

What Is the Most Popular Letter?

  1. 1
    66
    votes
    It is the most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 12.7% of all letters in written English.
    The letter 'E' is one of the most commonly used letters in the English alphabet. It is a vowel and appears frequently in many words, making it essential for forming cohesive sentences.
    • Unicode code point: U+0045
    • Pronunciation: The letter 'E' is typically pronounced as the short /ɛ/ sound (as in 'bet') or the long /iː/ sound (as in 'see').
    • Frequency in English language: The letter 'E' is the most commonly used letter in the English language.
    • Phonemic representation: /iː/ (long), /ɛ/ (short)
    • Morse code: '.-'
  2. 2
    56
    votes
    It is the second most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 8.2% of all letters in written English.
    The letter 'A' is the first letter of the Latin alphabet and one of the most widely used letters in various languages. It is an uppercase letter that is often used to begin words and sentences.
    • Phonetic Representation: ['eɪ']
    • Glyph Shape: A
    • Unicode Code Point: U+0041
    • ASCII Code: 65
    • Morse Code: .-
  3. 3
    21
    votes
    It is the third most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 7.5% of all letters in written English.
    The letter 'O' is a vowel in the English alphabet. It is widely recognized and used in various languages and writing systems. It is a rounded letter with a circular shape.
    • Phonetic Sound: 'O' represents the short o sound as in 'top' or the long o sound as in 'hope'.
    • Position: It is the 15th letter in the English alphabet.
    • Shape: It is a perfect circle with no straight lines or angles.
    • Case: It exists in both uppercase ('O') and lowercase ('o') forms.
    • Unicode Code Point: Uppercase O: U+004F, Lowercase o: U+006F.
  4. 4
    16
    votes
    It is the fourth most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 6.9% of all letters in written English.
    The letter 'I' is a vowel and the ninth letter of the English alphabet. It is commonly used as a pronoun, referring to oneself or as the first-person singular pronoun. It is also frequently used as the first letter for many essential words in various fields and disciplines.
    • Pronunciation: The letter 'I' is pronounced as /aɪ/ (eye) in standard English.
    • Phonetic symbol: /aɪ/
    • ASCII value: 73
    • Unicode value: U+0049
    • Morse code: ..
  5. 5
    13
    votes
    It is the fifth most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 6.6% of all letters in written English.
    The letter T is a consonant in the English alphabet. It is a common letter used in many words and is known for its distinct shape.
    • Phonetic sound: The letter T is pronounced as /t/.
    • Capital form: T
    • Lowercase form: t
    • ASCII code: 84
    • Unicode code point (hex): 0054
  6. 6
    2
    votes
    It is the sixth most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 6.6% of all letters in written English.
  7. 7
    5
    votes
    It is the seventh most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 6.3% of all letters in written English.
    The letter 'S' is an alphabetic character commonly used in various languages and writing systems. It is the 19th letter of the English alphabet. The shape of 'S' resembles a curve, with one vertical line connecting two curved lines. The uppercase 'S' and lowercase 's' are distinguishable by their sizes.
    • ASCII Code: Uppercase: 83, Lowercase: 115
    • Unicode Code Point: Uppercase: U+0053, Lowercase: U+0073
    • Phonetic Name: Sierra
    • Position in English alphabet: 19
    • Scrabble Score: 1
  8. 8
    4
    votes
    It is the eighth most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 5.7% of all letters in written English.
    The letter 'R' is a consonant and the 18th letter of the modern English alphabet. It is widely used in various languages and serves multiple purposes in written communication.
    • Phonetic Value: 'R' has different phonetic values depending on the language, ranging from an alveolar trill to a voiced alveolar approximant.
    • Glyph: The uppercase and lowercase form of the letter 'R' is written as 'R' and 'r', respectively.
    • Numerical Value: In English, 'R' has no numerical value as it is not used as a numeral.
    • Position in the Alphabet: The letter 'R' holds the 18th position in the English alphabet.
    • Significance in Mathematics: 'R' is often used as a variable or symbol in mathematics, representing real numbers, resistance, or radius.
  9. 9
    6
    votes
    It is the ninth most commonly used letter in the English language, accounting for around 4.0% of all letters in written English.
    The letter 'L' is a consonant in the Latin alphabet, commonly used in many languages worldwide. It is known for its distinctive shape, resembling a right-angle triangle with the horizontal bar serving as the base. The upper portion of the letter rises vertically from the base, forming its vertical stroke.
    • Phonetic representation: /ɛl/
    • Unicode code point: U+004C
    • ASCII value: 76
    • Case: Uppercase: L, Lowercase: l
    • Morse code: .-..
  10. 10
    2
    votes
    While not as commonly used as the letters above, "C" is often used in many common words and phrases such as "car", "computer", and "Christmas". It is also commonly used in many non-English languages.
    The letter "C" is a symbol representing the third letter of the modern English alphabet. It is a consonant with various phonetic pronunciations including /k/ as in 'cat' and /s/ as in 'cent'. The letter is commonly used in various words, sentences, and phrases in the English language and is widely recognized and understood by English speakers worldwide.
    • Phonetic Pronunciations: The letter "C" can be pronounced as /k/ like in 'cat' and /s/ as in 'cent'. Other pronunciations exist depending on its context within a word.
    • Alphabetic Position: The letter "C" holds the third position in the modern English alphabet sequence.
    • International Usage: The letter "C" is used in various languages beyond English, including French, Spanish, Italian, German, and many others, either with its native pronunciation or adapted to fit each language's phonetics.
    • Capital and Lowercase Forms: The capital form of the letter "C" is 'C,' while the lowercase form is 'c.'
    • Roman Numeral Equivalent: The letter "C" represents the Roman numeral 100.

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Ranking factors for popular letter

  1. Presence in language
    How common the letter is in different languages and alphabets. A popular letter should be present in multiple languages and alphabets.
  2. Pronunciation and Phonetics
    How easy the letter is to pronounce and recognize phonetically can contribute to its popularity.
  3. Appearance in names
    The frequency with which the letter appears in personal or place names can be taken into account as a measure of popularity.
  4. Role in literature and culture
    The prominence of the letter in literature, poetry, and other forms of cultural expression can also contribute to its popularity.
  5. Visual distinctiveness
    The shape and form of the letter, and how easily recognizable and distinguishable it is from other letters, can also be a factor in its popularity.
  6. Usage in words
    The importance of the letter in prefix, infix, and suffix formations in words and the roles it plays in word formation and meaning can also contribute to its popularity.
  7. Historical significance
    The history and evolution of the letter, its origins, and its significance in the development of written language can play a role in its popularity as well.

About this ranking

This is a community-based ranking of the most popular letter. We do our best to provide fair voting, but it is not intended to be exhaustive. So if you notice something or letter is missing, feel free to help improve the ranking!

Statistics

  • 1947 views
  • 189 votes
  • 10 ranked items

Voting Rules

A participant may cast an up or down vote for each letter once every 24 hours. The rank of each letter is then calculated from the weighted sum of all up and down votes.

More information on most popular letter

When it comes to language, every letter has its own unique sound and purpose. But have you ever wondered which letter is the most popular? While it may seem like a trivial question, the answer can actually provide insight into the way we communicate. According to various studies and analyses, the most commonly used letter in the English language is "E". This letter appears in over 11% of words in the English language, making it the most frequently used letter overall. It's not just limited to English either - "E" is also the most commonly used letter in several other languages, including French and Spanish. So why is "E" so popular? One reason may be its versatility - it can be used as a vowel or a consonant, and it appears in a wide variety of words. Additionally, many commonly used words such as "the", "be", and "he" all contain the letter "E". Of course, popularity can vary depending on the context. In certain fields such as mathematics and computer science, the letter "X" is often used as a variable or placeholder, making it more prevalent in those contexts. Similarly, in certain languages such as German, the letter "S" is used more frequently than "E". Overall, while there may not be a definitive answer to the question of the most popular letter, understanding the ways in which letters are used and valued can provide valuable insights into language and communication.

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