alphabet

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈæl.fə.bɛt/
• (uncommon) IPA: /ˈæl.fə.bɪt/
• Hyphenation: al‧pha‧bet

Noun

alphabet (plural alphabets)

1. The set of letters used when writing in a language.
   • The Greek alphabet has only twenty-four letters.
   • In the first year of school, pupils are taught to recite the alphabet.
2. A writing system in which letters represent phonemes. (Contrast e.g. logography, a writing system in which each character represents a word, and syllabary, in which each character represents a syllable.)
   1. A writing system in which there are letters for the consonant and vowel phonemes. (Contrast e.g. abjad.)
3. (computer science) A typically finite set of distinguishable symbols.
   • Let $L$ be a regular language over the alphabet $\Sigma$.
4. (India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia) An individual letter of an alphabet; an alphabetic character.
5. The simplest rudiments; elements.
6. (Internet slang, politics) An agent of the FBI, the CIA, or another such government agency.

Verb

alphabet (third-person singular simple present alphabets, present participle alphabeting, simple past and past participle alphabeted)

1. (rare) To designate by the letters of the alphabet; to arrange alphabetically.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /al.fa.bɛ/
• Homophone: alphabets

Noun

alphabet m (plural alphabets)

1. alphabet (set of letters considered as a group)

Noun

alphabet m (plural alphabets)

1. alphabet (set of letters considered as a group)