The English alphabet has 26 letters. Each letter has an uppercase form used for names and the start of sentences, and a lowercase form used in most writing. Letters represent sounds, but English spelling is not perfectly consistent, so one letter can have multiple sounds and one sound can be spelled in different ways.

Each letter has a standard name that you use when spelling words aloud, giving an email address, or talking about writing. Letter names stay the same even when the letter’s sound changes in a word. Knowing letter names helps you communicate clearly in situations like phone calls, forms, and classroom settings.

Uppercase letters are used at the beginning of a sentence, for the pronoun I, and for proper nouns like people, places, brands, and days of the week. Lowercase letters are used for most other words in a sentence. Many letters look similar across cases, but some change shape a lot, so you should recognize them quickly in reading.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Uppercase	🔤 Uppercase	Capital letters used for sentence starts and names	🔤 用于句子开头和名字的大写字母	London, Maria, Monday	🔤 London, Maria, Monday
Lowercase	🔡 Lowercase	Small letters used for most writing	🔡 用于大多数书写的小写字母	a book, the city, on Monday	🔡 一本书，这座城市，周一
Proper noun	🖊️ Proper noun	A name that usually takes uppercase	🖊️ 通常以大写字母开头的名字	Amazon, Spain, Mr. Lee	🖊️ Amazon, Spain, Mr. Lee
Sentence start	📄 Sentence start	The first letter of a sentence is uppercase	📄 句子开头的第一个字母大写	She is here.	📄 她在这里。

English has five main vowel letters: A, E, I, O, U. These letters can represent many different vowel sounds, and sometimes Y can act like a vowel too. Vowel letters are central to syllables, so recognizing vowel patterns helps you read and spell more accurately.

The other letters are consonant letters, and they often represent consonant sounds like /t/, /m/, or /s/. Some consonant letters have more than one common sound, and some consonant sounds are written with two letters together. Learning consonant patterns helps you predict pronunciation and spelling.

In English, the same letter can produce different sounds depending on the word, and the same sound can be spelled in different ways. This means you should learn letters as tools for reading, not as one fixed sound. Paying attention to common patterns like vowel-consonant structure will help you connect spelling to pronunciation.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
A letter name is not the same as its sound in a word	📌 字母名称在单词中的发音并不等同于它的名称	B is named bee, but in boy it is /b/	📌 B is named bee, but in boy it is /b/
One letter can have more than one sound	📌 一个字母可以有多种发音	C: cat /k/, city /s/	📌 C: cat /k/, city /s/
One sound can have more than one spelling	📌 一个音可以有多种拼写	/f/: fan, phone	📌 /f/: fan, phone
Two letters can represent one sound	📌 两个字母可以表示一个音	sh in ship	📌 sh in ship

English pronunciation often depends on letter position and neighboring letters. Some letters have predictable patterns, such as C and G having a softer sound before E, I, or Y in many words. Learning these patterns improves reading fluency and helps you make a good guess when you see a new word.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Description	🇨🇳 中文 描述	Notation	🇨🇳 中文 符号	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
C before E I Y	🔊 C before E I Y	Often pronounced like /s/ in many common words	🔊 在许多常见单词中通常发出 /s/ 音	/s/	🔊 /s/	city, cent, cycle	🔊 city, cent, cycle
C before A O U	🔊 C before A O U	Often pronounced like /k/ in many common words	🔊 在许多常见单词中通常发出 /k/ 音	/k/	🔊 /k/	cat, cold, cup	🔊 cat, cold, cup
G before E I Y	🔊 G before E I Y	Often pronounced like /dʒ/ in many common words	🔊 在许多常见单词中通常发出 /dʒ/ 音	/dʒ/	🔊 /dʒ/	general, giant, gym	🔊 general, giant, gym
G before A O U	🔊 G before A O U	Often pronounced like /g/ in many common words	🔊 在许多常见单词中通常发出 /g/ 音	/g/	🔊 /g/	game, go, gum	🔊 game, go, gum

English frequently uses letter pairs to represent one sound or a common sound sequence. These pairs are important because reading them as separate letters can lead to the wrong pronunciation. Recognizing frequent digraphs helps you decode new words faster.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 单词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
sh	🔤 sh	One consonant sound	🔤 一个辅音音素	ship	🔤 ship
ch	🔤 ch	One consonant sound	🔤 一个辅音音素	chair	🔤 chair
th	🔤 th	One consonant sound in many words	🔤 在许多单词中一个辅音音素	this, think	🔤 this, think
ph	🔤 ph	Often represents /f/	🔤 常表示 /f/	phone	🔤 phone
ng	🔤 ng	Nasal sound at the end of many words	🔤 许多单词结尾的鼻音	sing	🔤 sing

When you spell aloud in English, you say letter names clearly and in order. This skill is useful for names, addresses, passwords, and customer service situations. You can also add clarifying information like the word type or repetition if something is hard to hear.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Spell using letter names in order	📌 按字母名称按顺序拼写	M-A-R-K	📌 M-A-R-K
Use pauses to group long strings	📌 使用停顿来分组较长的字母串	A-B-C, then 1-2-3	📌 A-B-C, 然后 1-2-3
Repeat if the listener is unsure	📌 如听者不确定则重复	That is S, S as in Sam	📌 That is S, S as in Sam
Confirm by reading back	📌 通过朗读回读来确认	You said J-O-H-N, John	📌 You said J-O-H-N, John

Alphabetical order is used to organize dictionaries, contact lists, files, and indexes. You compare words letter by letter from the start until you find the first difference. Understanding alphabetical order helps you find information quickly in English materials.