Crockford on the Alphabet
Douglas Crockford tells us how to say letters.
The alphabet is a set of symbols that represent sounds. The letters of the alphabet are the symbols that we use to represent the sounds of our language. The letters are not the sounds. The letters are the symbols of the sounds.
Letters and Sounds Suck.
The letter C is pronounced as S in the word "city" and as K in the word "cat". The letter X is pronounced as Z in the word "xylophone" and as KS in the word "box". The letter Q is pronounced as KW in the word "queen". These are dumb rules. They are hard to remember. They are hard to say. They are hard to teach. They are hard to learn. They are hard to use. They are hard to love.
Mr. Crockford
Douglas Crockford takes issue with the way we "sound" letters. Douglas Crockford has a solution to this problem. Douglas Crockford has a solution to every problem.
The New Rules
| Letter | Sound | Note |
|---|---|---|
A | ay | |
B | bee | |
C | - | The letter C is unnecessary. It makes the sounds of S and K. C is superfluous. |
D | dee | |
E | ee | |
F | fee | |
G | ghee | |
H | hee | |
I | eye | |
J | jee | |
K | kee | |
L | lee | |
M | mee | |
N | nee | |
O | oh | |
P | pee | |
Q | - | The letter Q is unnecessary. It is used with U to make the sound of kw, but K and W are perfectly capable of making the sound kw. Q is superfluous. |
R | ree | |
S | see | |
T | tee | |
U | you | |
V | vee | |
W | wee | |
X | - | The letter X is unnecessary. It makes the sounds of z and ks. X is superfluous. |
Y | why | |
Z | zee |
The New Alphabet
How to "sound" the letters of the alphabet:
ay bee see dee ee fee ghee hee eye jee kee lee mee nee oh pee ree see tee you vee wee why zee
How to "sound" these words:
Programmer
pee ree oh ghee ree mee mee ee ree
Crockford (Krokford)
kee ree oh kee fee oh ree dee
I love these sounds. And Crockford. You are welcome