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An A-Z history of the English alphabet

An A-Z history of the English alphabet

Danny Bate takes listeners on a journey through the hidden history of our letters and how we use them

Emily Briffett

Published: July 1, 2026 at 8:15 AM

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What letter in the English alphabet did Benjamin Franklin think we'd be better off without? Why must the letter U (almost) always follow the letter Q? And what is the point of silent letters? From the first scratches carved into stone to the maddening mysteries of modern English spelling, the alphabet has had a long and extraordinary journey.

In this episode, Emily Briffett is joined by linguist, writer and broadcaster Danny Bate to explore the history of the English alphabet, and the strange story behind the letters we use every day.

Authors

Emily BriffettSenior content producer (podcasts)

Emily Briffett is senior content producer (podcasts) at HistoryExtra