abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz: search and destroy

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What are your favourite and least favourite letters, from any alphabet of your choice?

― james, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Q... because it's so dependent on U. U can clearly survive without Q though (since it's escaped that whole =V thing at least), so it must really resent that leeching little bitch Q.

― Kim, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Q = least favorite that is.

X = best letter. Because it's so much more.

― Kim, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

U & I http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/wink.gif

― Kodanshi, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

worst thread ever.

― chaki, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

thank you for your criticism.

― james, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Least favourite: Q, X and C, cos they're completely redundant

Most favourite: thorn and eth

― RickyT, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yay! Thorn and eth! Have any languages kept these beauties except Icelandic? Perhaps Faroese? Revival time!

(I was going to write all of ðis post using ðem but ðen I realised ðat it might look like I was enþusing about porn, so I removed ðem from ðe first line. Plus I pronounce ð like it contains a þ, which would be illogical, and I'm too lazy to work out wheðer I'm wrong or to look up ðe correct spelling for its oðer name - ash?)

I like all letters, ðey're much better than numbers. Why did I decide to do a science at uni again?

― Rebecca, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Plus Q, X and C are great because Latin has lots of them. Neither Finnish nor Latin contain Ws, so I would declare them dud, except Welsh looks so pretty (or maybe that's just me crushing on Euros Childs... hmm). Bs aren't that great either. They're the obnoxious and messy little brothers of P. However I am quite taken with my Viking name of Bekkhild the Red, and Pekkhild sounds rubbish (although almost Finnish), so I wouldn't want to banish them completely.

I like xi and zeta 'cos they're so pretty and I draw mine differently to everyone else and maths lecturers always make a bloody mess of 'em and stick in billions of random squiggles. Thetas are quite nice too. Digammas (digammae? digammata?) are poncy and rare, they sound and look funny, and they're useless, and thus they appeal to indie kids like me.

I do not like the Russian letters which don't look like Greek or Roman letters because I don't know what they are and I just make random "shhhjjjjzh" noises for them. I wish I knew some other languages to offer opinions on those.

― Rebecca, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I try to like poor old Q, but she is just too hard to write neatly, and in lower-case she looks quite naked and pathetic. X and Z seem cool, but unpredictable and aloof. I like E, as it's nice he's always around to take care of pretty much everything.

I have actually thought about this before, so I approve of this thread immensely.

― rainy, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have worried about pronouncing eth with a thorn sound myself. It does seem illogical but OTOH it's not only the letter whose name doesn't contain its standard sound: H has no h and W no w.

― RickyT, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Q and X people. Think of the Scrabble scores.

― Graham, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

totally justifiable thread. z. i don't have an awful lot of time for this afterthought of letters, principally because i don't like spelling the suffix 'ise' 'ize'. i see this most in american english, which i suppose i ought to award the same rights as any other language and stop getting hung up about it.

― another james, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

H has no h and W no w

We should start calling them "haitch" and "wubbleyou."

Although I thought there was a minor UK habit of referring to "W" as, well, "wuh." Is that incorrect?

― Nitsuh, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like Z, the letter that causes many a drunken arguements with the neighbours to my countries south.

― Mr Noodles, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Must...resist...Quenya...references...ARGH! FOUR MORE DAYS, FOUR MORE DAYS...

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

X because it's the best part of my signature. From the previous letter, the pen curves up slowly, ominously and then meanders a bit southeast to set up an acute angle for prey.... then..from up above and to the right, the unmerciful pen dashes downwards without any faltering or squiggliness and masterfully completes the X. Swoosh.

― Honda, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Scrabble has poisoned my relationship with a number of letters (K in particular), but since discovering qi, qat and zho, I've learned to love Q and Z again.

Gamma wins in the Greek alphabet for having the best musical association. The 28th letter of the Danish/Norwegian alphabet (o- slash) runs it close.

I had a dictionary in my teens which listed the Cyrillic alphabet in an appendix, complete with phonetic approximations. My choice there would be the one that was supposedly pronounced "ekra'tkoye". Whenever I mention this to Russian-speakers they stare at me blankly. What am I doing wrong?

― Michael Jones, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i don't like q because when people are getting personalised number plates they don't realise how stupid it looks to see GQRDQN or JQHN driving past. haha couldn't get an o!

i like d cos my name starts with d.

― di, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"ha ha couldn't get a o!" CLASSIC!

― rainy, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Michael, you're probably just saying it funny. Say it something like "ee krahtkaya".

― Josh, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i am fond of x , y and p in the roman alphabet.

― anthonyeaston, Saturday, 15 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

definitely NOT L followed by OL..or A followed by SL.

comprende??

― Aohell, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

We should start calling them "haitch" and "wubbleyou."

anyone who has been watching Floyd on India lately will have noticed his annoying habit of plugging his website "wubbleyou wubbleyou wubblyou dot channelfour dot com...."

it is THORNS and YOGHS which are the best. reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a hoot! but alas i do not know how to do them on the pooter boo hoo!!

― katie, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

actually Floyd is on Channel 5 innit. you know what i mean.

― katie, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I wonder if Rebecca could find the symbol that they used in olden times for an "s" (or possibly "ss") - you know, that letter wot looks like an f. "Prefently, Mr Fawkef if going to be flaughtered"

I also like the German B that means "ss". "ss" roXoR!

― Mark C, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Saturday was a slow day, james?

I kind of like é and ö and ç and µ at the moment, 'cos they're on my keyboard.

― Jeff W, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Favourite is maybe B

Worst by far is G. I just think it's really ugly, especially when followed by an R.

― N., Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like M and K and E and J but most of all I like TH, which isn't a letter.

― toraneko, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

NB. Graham - sorry. Wasn't thinking about you.

― N., Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

consonants versus vowels anyone? do some of these threads seem a little desperate? how about favourite logical operator, or favourite colour-space? (XOR and LAB)

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dastoor, you'd best apologise to Ms GRocott as well while you're at it. You swine.

― Mark C, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Grocott is not a nice name. Neither is Graham. I just meant I wasn't specifically thinking of them when said I didn't like grx

― N., Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Grocott isn't a nice name? you try living with it!

― katie, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like the Japanese alphabet: They *letters* are syllables so they aren't on their own. Sa shi su se so, ma mi mu me mo, ka ki ku ke ko and so on and so on.

― helenfordsdale, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

J E L are my faves!

― james, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I feel we must gang up on Fearful Dastoor.

― Graham, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Great gravy!

I like M best, he is the gatekeeper of the much more valuable crown jewels of the alphabet, the second half, where powerbrokers like R and S lay about, coiling in their decadence, and where naval lookouts like O and P scan the horizon for advancing intruders, and doddering patriarchs like W and V offer barely-heard advice. But if not for M and his trusty but slighter sidekick N, the orderly and modern rationality of the front half might steamroll this precarious arrangement in an instant.

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

A iss without a doubt my favorite letter. I hate cursive Q for being ugly. P is very dull, and so is H. V and E are nice.

― Maria, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That letter wot looks like an f = "long s", and it seems not to be in the html 4 character entities list, but it's U+017F in Lat in Extended-A charset, ISO unicode fans. Bleſs!

The German double-S has a special name too but I've forgotten it. This (ß) is supposed to be an sz ligature, not an ss ligature, but it looks all right to me. If it doesn't show up where you are then you could always cheat and use a beta, β, but the tail will be wrong.

Whee, that list is fun. † ‡ ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ ∞ ¶ § µ μ ⊗ ξ ζ Θ π √

― ‘Ρεβεκκα, Monday, 17 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

should i eat all six cherry bakewells?

― jel --, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I ♥ hearts.

― N., Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I ♣ seals.

― Sam, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I used to like N because it was the first letter in my name, but now it has been spoiled by association with "N.".

K is an underrated letter.

― Nicole, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

German double-S = ess-tset. It is the king of letters.

― Dan Perry, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Isn't the german double S also called the Schaffes(sic?) S?

Said SHARFIS.

I'm sure I remember that from school.

― misterjones, Friday, 1 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

Letter M...so oral. I just love putting my lips together and saying MMMMMMMMMMMM. Makes them feel all vibratey.

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 5 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I just sort of flashed an image of Michael as Grace Jones.

― Tracer Hand, Sunday, 5 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ß is called scharfes Ess. "Scharf" also means spicy or sexy -- Grrrowl!! It's also called the "Ess-Zet", which just means "sz", and sz is how folks used to type ß when they had no ß on their keyboard, although now they type "ss". If you look at the character closely, you'll see that it is in fact not at all a "B", but an old f-style ess jammed up against the word-ending s.

I am fond of ü, because it's fun to pronounce -- purse your lips as if to say "ee", and then say "ooo". Proper pronounciation of this letter is often the only difference between homosexuality and humidity.

― Colin Meeder, Monday, 6 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'Take the 'L' out of lover...and it's over...'

― dave scrabble, Monday, 6 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

I have been quite fond of R lately, that leg is so sexy.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 02:32 (twenty years ago)

The best is V
The worst is W

snacky hos

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 02:36 (twenty years ago)

forget the leg, look at those tits

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 02:52 (twenty years ago)

I gave gender identifications to letters as a child. Also, specific sexual orientations. Why do I admit these things? Anywhoo, I feel this has been discussed, but V is very extraordinary, and also a gay male. Q is also gay.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 11:03 (twenty years ago)

Q is definitely gay. As is N.

B is macho, and F is a plumber.

T is good (you can imagine having a pint with T) but I really don't like Y - it's like it's too clever for it's own good, and pretentious, and tries to be all happy but goes home to an empty flat at the end of the night and cries himself to sleep.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 11:08 (twenty years ago)

N. is gay?

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 11:24 (twenty years ago)

Maybe not N, but certainly N.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 11:25 (twenty years ago)

Do you have photos?

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 11:37 (twenty years ago)

N gets up to all sorts of grotesque orgies:
http://speclab.cr.usgs.gov/PAPERS/tetracorder/eqns/eqn6.gif

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

а Б в г Д е ё Ж з и к л м н о п р с т у Ф х ц ч ш Щ э ю я ь Ъ

owns u all

(bold equals my faves)

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

I'm not being racist, but these foreign letters showing up . .. it deprives letters that have been in our alphabet for thousands of years from taking their rightful place in everyday words.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 12:01 (twenty years ago)

oh shit i forgot Й

how could i forget that bad ass letter!!!!!!

32 vs 26. theres no contest.

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 12:47 (twenty years ago)

N is a pansy and won't admit it M and N are clearly in a dangerous relationship, since M likes K better than N. More gender identification -VWXY are female, but Z is such a boy. B and F and T are macho. I would have a beer with all, or any of them. I would not have a beer with S.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

kicking Kay kicks curly cuh's curly ass

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 15:27 (twenty years ago)

R is thexy.

― Ian Riese-Moraine. Sweeter than a lorry load of white Toblerones. (Eastern Mantr, Tuesday, 22 March 2005 16:16 (twenty years ago)

π is OK.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

M is problematic.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

if Q is gay then is U its sugar daddy?

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Tuesday, 22 March 2005 19:33 (twenty years ago)

i hate H because of all the twunts that say hhhhhaitch. HAITCH. HHHHHHHHHAITCH.

DIE DIE DIE

― g-kit (g-kit), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:05 (twenty years ago)

Ж is best, ambrose is correct

― Allyzay Subservient 50s-Type (allyzay), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:11 (twenty years ago)

My favorites are those Bushman throatclicks and tonguepops that are usually written out as ! or something.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:33 (twenty years ago)

search: w e r t u i o p a s d h j z x c b m
destroy: q y f g k l v n

― Silky Sensor (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:47 (twenty years ago)

"if Q is gay then is U its sugar daddy? "
Why yes, I think that's EXACTLY it, as Q is so much more flamboyant.And U is definitely gay. Q goes to too many parties by himself and hooks up with bad characters, with the result of brief and non-fulfilling unions.

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Thursday, 24 March 2005 00:08 (twenty years ago)

http://www2.arts.gla.ac.uk/IPA/images/nonpulmonic.gif

― ambrose (ambrose), Thursday, 24 March 2005 00:59 (twenty years ago)

damn, i thought this was about the big bird song

― olde english d, Thursday, 24 March 2005 01:36 (twenty years ago)

HAHAHA! Ab-ka-def-ghee-jeckel-menop-kwurstu-wixiz! It's the most impossible word I've ever seen!

― What we want? Sex with T.V. stars! What you want? Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Thursday, 24 March 2005 01:51 (twenty years ago)

"I think I know exaxtly what you mean!
It starts out like an A word, as anyone can see,
but somewhere in the middle it gets offely QR to me!"

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Thursday, 24 March 2005 02:19 (twenty years ago)

I think english speakers should pronounce the letter "W" : wee , instead of "dub-x"(x="ble-eww" or "yah"), and when pronouncing the whole alphabet in english, the part "g-h-i-j-k" = left to be desired.

― Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Monday, 28 March 2005 07:51 (twenty years ago)

"Dub" would be better than "Wee". "Wee" sounds too much like other letters.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 28 March 2005 23:24 (twenty years ago)

Ambrose, what about Ы?! It is the true badass in Russian.

― scotstvo (scotstvo), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 11:16 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

― Mark G, Friday, 16 January 2009 09:24 (seventeen years ago)

destroy (mostly):

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/4197/lp2frontak4.jpg

― what are black holes made of (unregistered), Friday, 16 January 2009 09:37 (seventeen years ago)

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