letter

¹ American  

[let-er] / ˈlɛt ər /

noun

1. a written or printed communication addressed to a person or organization and usually transmitted by mail.

2. a symbol or character that is conventionally used in writing and printing to represent a speech sound and that is part of an alphabet.

3. a piece of printing type bearing such a symbol or character.

4. a particular style of type.

5. such types collectively.

6. Often letters a formal document granting a right or privilege.

7. actual terms or wording; literal meaning, as distinct from implied meaning or intent (opposed to spirit).

   the letter of the law.

8. (used with a singular or plural verb) letters,

   1. literature in general.

   2. the profession of literature.

   3. learning; knowledge, especially of literature.

9. an emblem consisting of the initial or monogram of a school, awarded to a student for extracurricular activity, especially in athletics.

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verb (used with object)

letters, present (3rd person singular) lettered, past participle, past lettering present participle

1. to mark or write with letters; inscribe.

   I picked up the crossword and lettered in P-E-A-R-L for the final clue.

verb (used without object)

letters, present (3rd person singular) lettered, past participle, past lettering present participle

1. to earn a letter in an interscholastic or intercollegiate activity, especially a sport.

   He lettered in track at Harvard.

idioms

1. to the letter, to the last particular; precisely.

   His orders were carried out to the letter.

letter ² American  

[let-er] / ˈlɛt ər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a person who lets, especially one who rents out property.

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letter British  

/ ˈlɛtə /

noun

1. any of a set of conventional symbols used in writing or printing a language, each symbol being associated with a group of phonetic values in the language; character of the alphabet

2. a written or printed communication addressed to a person, company, etc, usually sent by post in an envelope

3. the strict legalistic or pedantic interpretation of the meaning of an agreement, document, etc; exact wording as distinct from actual intention (esp in the phrase the letter of the law ) Compare spirit 1

4. archaic printing a style of typeface

   a fancy letter

5. 1. following the literal interpretation or wording exactly

   2. attending to every detail

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verb

1. to write or mark letters on (a sign, etc), esp by hand

2. (tr) to set down or print using letters

letter More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing letter

• bread and butter letter
• crank call (letter)
• dead letter
• four-letter word
• poison-pen letter
• red-letter day
• to the letter

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Synonym Usage

See literature.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• letterer
  noun
• letterless
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has lettered
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have lettered
  perfect
• are lettering
  progressive
• is lettering
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am lettering
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been lettering
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• letters
  singular 3rd person
• lettering
  participle
• have been lettering
  perfect progressive

Past

• had lettered
  perfect
• had been lettering
  perfect progressive
• lettered
  simple
• lettered
  participle
• were lettering
  progressive plural
• was lettering
  progressive singular

Future

• will letter
  simple
• will have lettered
  perfect
• will have been lettering
  perfect progressive
• will be lettering
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of letter¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, variant of lettre, from Old French, from Latin littera “alphabetic character”; in plural, “epistle, literature”

Origin of letter²

First recorded in 1550–60; let ¹ + -er ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

A letter is one of the characters that make up the alphabet. When a child first learns to write, she often starts with the letters in her name. Then she can write a message, or letter, to her grandmother. The alphabet begins with the letters a, b, c, d. These are written as capital letters when they appear at the start of a sentence or a proper noun, such as a person's name. Another letter is the kind you write and send to someone through the mail. Letter comes from the Old French letre, "character, letter, or note," from the Latin littera, "letter of the alphabet," and also "a writing or document."

Example Sentences

"By sending this letter, they probably wanted to get ahead of it."

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Zelensky sent an open letter calling for a direct negotiations, writing that it would be "wrong to simply wait" for the conflict to once again become the focus of US attention.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Vladimir Putin.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

The younger me would probably laugh at this letter.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

She looks at the letter over my shoulder.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• answer
• memo
• memorandum
• message
• note
• postcard
• reply
• report