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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• lettering
  present
• lettered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• letter
  simple
• letters
  simple
• have lettered
  perfect
• has lettered
  perfect
• am lettering
  progressive
• are lettering
  progressive
• is lettering
  progressive
• have been lettering
  perfect progressive
• has been lettering
  perfect progressive

Past

• lettered
  simple
• had lettered
  perfect
• was lettering
  progressive
• were lettering
  progressive
• had been lettering
  perfect progressive

Future

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

See Examples For:

letter letters lettered lettering

“This proposal has become a defining question for FIFA’s future,” Infantino’s senior advisor Carlos Cordeiro wrote in his resignation letter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Meanwhile, 22 of the EU's 27 countries also called for emergency talks in an open letter, citing "serious concerns" regarding the developments in Ceuta.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

The four former commissioners have signed a joint letter arguing that the gondola proposal “would enable a private development to permanently and irreparably shrink, degrade, and destroy the integrity of a state park.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Your letter raises a broader question about choosing battles.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

I must have knocked a fragment of the letter loose onto the locker floor when I started my shift last night.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

The former staffers have sent “don’t you dare” letters to the commission, and one of them argued that the view of the downtown skyline would be cluttered and commercialized.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Adding to the confusion, letters told homeowners they have until Aug. 21 to submit an exemption application if they live in a townhouse or condominium, and until Aug. 24 if they live in a co-op.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Many are delaying college to enter into active duty first, even if they already received acceptance letters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

West Mercia Police sent speeding tickets to a Grade II listed Herefordshire castle bought by Hammond in 2012 and a £1m farm estate near Hereford, but the letters were returned marked as "addressee gone away".

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Only a handful of letters from Kate or Maggie exist.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Sitting in front of the Wales Millennium Centre's famous lettered windows, Mr Farrow said the cost of "just opening the doors and running this facility" has gone up by £1m per year since 2019.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2023

He lettered from 1963-65 on Kentucky’s varsity under Charlie Bradshaw after playing on the freshman squad and was a consensus first team All-America as a senior.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

At Costco’s food courts, items are pictured, oversized, on red-bordered posters with the description and price lettered below in blue on a white background.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2023

He lettered three years as a punter and kicker in high school, and came to WSU as a preferred walk-on.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 17, 2023

The new invitation, designed by Ashima, the English translation lettered by Gogol, is the only thing that isn’t a leftover.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

This early-to-mid 19th century craft involves applying artwork, lettering and gold leaf backwards onto glass panes, as often seen in traditional pubs or shop fronts.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

In December, the board decided to rename the institution and new lettering bearing Trump's full name was affixed to the centre's front portico the next day.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Among them, a worn “Army of Alphabetizers” badge from Cuba’s 1961 literacy campaign, its lettering nearly faded.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

The white cap with gold lettering is a bit of Trump merch, currently on sale for $55.

From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026

The Illustrated Grimms’ Fairy Tales was embossed on a bright purple cover in large, scrolly gold lettering.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

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