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A

This article is about the Latin letter. For the similar Greek letter, see Alpha. For the similar Cyrillic letter, see A (Cyrillic). For other uses, see A (disambiguation).
For technical reasons, "A#" redirects here. For A-sharp, see A-sharp.

A
A a
Usage
Writing systemLatin script
TypeAlphabetic
Language of originLatin language
Sound values
In UnicodeU+0041, U+0061
Alphabetical position1
History
Development
Time periodc. 700 BCE – present
Descendants
Sisters
Other
Associated graphsa(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
ISO basic
Latin alphabet
AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz

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

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 is often written in one of 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, a is the indefinite article, with the alternative form an.

  1. ^ "Latin alphabet". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  2. ^ a b Simpson & Weiner 1989, p. 1.
  3. ^ McCarter 1974, p. 54.


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