# A

> English word · Character · IPA /eɪ̯/ · frequency rank #5

## Definitions
1. The first letter of the English alphabet, called a and written in the Latin script.

## Etymology
From Middle English and Old English upper case letter A and split of Middle English and Old English upper case letter Æ.
* The Old English letters A and Æ replaced the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letters ᚪ (a, “āc”) and ᚫ (æ, “æsc”), derived from the Runic letter ᚫ (a, “Ansuz”), in the 7th century.

## Easily confused with
- **as** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-as)
- **at** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-at)
- **an** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-an)
- **AM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-am)
- **AL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-al)
- **AD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-ad)
- **ah** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-ah)
- **AP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-ap)
- **AC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-ac)
- **ai** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-ai)
- **aw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-aw)
- **AR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-ar)
- **AU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-au)
- **AA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-aa)
- **AF** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-af)
- **ag** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-ag)
- **AK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-ak)
- **AZ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-az)
- **a1** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-a1)
- **av** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-av)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/a