One-letter English word

Aside from the self-reference discussed below, the English language has three one-letter words:

Both I and O are capitalized when used.

The word E is the shortest English neologism and is a Spivak pronoun meaning he or she. It, along with X, is also a common abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy.

e is a mathematical and scientific constant, referring to the base of the natural logarithm. Many other such constants also have single-letter symbols, such as c.

In gangsta rap culture, G is a valid word, a contraction of "gangster", used as a term of respect.

There are also various single letter words used as abbreviations in text-speak and related uses:

  • b – "be", "bee"
  • c – "sea", "see"
  • f – "fuck", often a euphemism
  • g – "Gee"
  • I – "eye"
  • j – "jay"
  • k – "okay"
  • n – "and"
  • o – "oh"
  • p – "pea" (small green vegetable)
  • q – "cue", "queue"
  • r – "are"
  • t – "tea"
  • u – "you"
  • v – "very", for example: V Graham Norton
  • x – part of the phrase "x out"
  • y – "why"

Various digits have also been pressed into service in this manner:

  • 1 – "won"
  • 2 – "to", "too". Can also be used as part of a word. E.g. 2moro (tomorrow).
  • 4 – "for" – Can also be used as part of a word. The complete list: a4d, 4cast, 4m, 4mer, 4milk, 4most, 4t, 4ty
  • 6 – Can be used as part of "sixty" (6ty)
  • 7 – Can be used as part of "seventy" (7ty)
  • 8 – "ate" – Can also be used as part of a word. The completete list: b8, celebr8, complic8, cr8, d8, equ8, f8, g8, gr8, h8, infl8, infl8able, ir8, l8, l8r, m8, navig8, obl8, pal8, pal8al, pl8, r8, r8d, r8ing, sk8, sk8r, t8r, urin8, veget8, w8, 8y
  • 9 – "night", a shortened form of "good night"

Self-reference: Every letter is a word

Large dictionaries list each letter as a single-letter word. Each such word is defined as a noun, denoting the letter with which it is spelled. This blurs the use-mention distinction: one can write

"Psychology" starts with a "p".

mentioning the letter p, or one can write

"Psychology" starts with a p.

using the word p.

These nouns often form the plural irregularly, with an apostrophe:

"Egg" has two g's.

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