Learning the 26 letters of English alphabet & proper pronunciation by native speakers

How many letters are in the English alphabet? The alphabet in English consists of 26 letters in total. So how do you properly read the English alphabet? Let's find the answer together with PREP below!

I. What is the English alphabet?

What is the English alphabet? The English alphabet refers to a system of Latin letters consisting of 26 letters, including 5 vowels and 21 consonants, arranged in a fixed order, used to form words and apply to Listening - Speaking - Reading - Writing in daily life.

II. How many letters are there in the English alphabet?

So how many letters are there in the English alphabet? Which letter is used the most? Which letter is used the least? Let's learn about it right below with PREP!

1. Frequency of letter usage

Based on research from Samuel Morse (1791-1872), the founder of Morse code combined with the research results from the Concise Oxford Dictionary (9th edition, 1995), we obtained data on the frequency of usage of the letters in the English alphabet from most to least used as follows:

III. How to read the English Alphabet

What is the proper standard native pronunciation of the English alphabet? Below, PREP would like to share with you how to pronounce the 5 vowels and 21 consonants along with their accurate IPA phonetic transcriptions. Please reference this helpful information.

1. How to pronounce the 5 English vowels

PREP will provide guidance on how to precisely pronounce the 5 English vowels along with sample audio recordings for you. Details on pronunciation are given below!

2. How to pronounce the 21 English consonants

Let’s discover how to pronounce the 21 English consonants along with sample audio recordings below!

IV. Tips for quickly memorizing the English Alphabet

Memorizing the alphabet is the most important first step in the journey to conquer English. So how do you memorize the 26 English letters without feeling bored? Let's refer to the following two methods together with PREP!

1. Learn through songs

Learning the alphabet through songs and poems is one of the most effective and commonly used learning methods. Instead of repeatedly reading the 26 English letters, you should incorporate them into songs to create melodies. Learning the letters through melodies will stimulate your brain to receive information faster and especially avoid boredom when learning the English alphabet.

PREP has researched and compiled links to good English alphabet songs for you below!

ABC Song:

The Alphabet Is So Much Fun:

2. Learning through Practicing Writing the Alphabet

In addition to learning the English alphabet through songs, we can also practice writing using the traditional note-taking method. So how can we learn the English alphabet most effectively through practicing writing? Let's take a look at the following steps:

• Step 1 - Prepare writing tools: The two indispensable tools for practicing writing the English alphabet are notebooks and pencils. For notebooks, you should choose graph paper for the most effective and accurate practice. Along with that, instead of using ink pens, you should replace them with pencils so that mistakes can be erased and rewritten.
• Step 2 - Read the letter out loud before writing: Reading aloud while looking at the English alphabet chart will help you visualize the strokes of each letter in your mind.
• Step 3 - Ask someone to check after practicing writing the alphabet: While it may seem unnecessary, this is an extremely important step. Among the 26 English letters, many letters are often confused with each other such as: "M - N; E - F". Therefore, without correcting from the beginning, you will write exactly as when first learning in the future.

V. English alphabet exercises with answers

To better remember the English alphabet for longer, let's complete the two practice exercises below together!

1. Exercises

Exercise 1: Listen to the audio and fill in the appropriate letters

Exercise 2: Listen to the audio and circle the correct letter

A. Listen to the audio and repeat the letters after the speaker

B. Listen to the audio and write down the letters

C. Circle the letter that you hear

Play Audio: Click 

2. Answer

Exercise 1:

Exercise 2:

A.

B.

C.

PREP hopes that after reading this article about the English alphabet, you will know how to read the English alphabet correctly like a native speaker, gain a few effective alphabet learning books, and the fastest way to memorize the English alphabet. Be sure to frequently visit PREP for updates on helpful knowledge!