Numbers, Letters and the Alphabet in English
Say numbers clearly, spell names on the phone and avoid the classic mix-ups.
Spelling your name, giving a phone number or a price: everyday situations where one wrong sound can cause a real misunderstanding. This page shows how to say the alphabet, numbers, dates and email addresses clearly in British English.
The English Alphabet
The easiest way to learn the letters is in groups that share the same vowel sound.
1Letters grouped by sound
| Sound | Letters |
|---|---|
| /eɪ/ as in day | A, H, J, K |
| /iː/ as in see | B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V |
| /e/ as in bed | F, L, M, N, S, X, Z (zed) |
| /aɪ/ as in my | I, Y |
| /əʊ/ as in go | O |
| /uː/ as in you | Q, U, W |
| /ɑː/ as in car | R |
Note: H is /eɪtʃ/, W is /ˈdʌbljuː/ („double-u“) and Z is /zed/ in British English. American English says „zee“.
2The most confused letters
| Letter | English | Often confused with |
|---|---|---|
| A | /eɪ/ | E (German „e“) |
| E | /iː/ | I (German „i“) |
| I | /aɪ/ | E |
| G | /dʒiː/ | J |
| J | /dʒeɪ/ | G or Y |
| R | /ɑː/ | A |
| V | /viː/ | W, B |
| Y | /waɪ/ | J (German „Ypsilon“) |
Spelling Names and Addresses
Useful phrases and symbols for the phone and for email.
1Useful phrases
- Could you spell that, please?
- That's double L, double S: B-A-L-L-A-S-S.
- Capital M, small a, r, k.
- Is that B for Bravo or P for Papa?
- My email is anna dot schmidt at gmail dot com.
2Symbols
| Symbol | Say |
|---|---|
| @ | at |
| . | dot |
| - | hyphen, or dash |
| _ | underscore |
| / | slash, or forward slash |
| Aa | capital A, small a |
3The phonetic alphabet
On the phone, use code words to make letters clear:
- Alfa
- Bravo
- Charlie
- Delta
- Echo
- Foxtrot
- Golf
- Hotel
- India
- Juliett
- Kilo
- Lima
- Mike
- November
- Oscar
- Papa
- Quebec
- Romeo
- Sierra
- Tango
- Uniform
- Victor
- Whiskey
- X-ray
- Yankee
- Zulu
Thirteen or Thirty?
The classic number problem. Listen for the long /iːn/ at the end.
The difference
| -teen | -ty |
|---|---|
| thirteen /ˌθɜːˈtiːn/ | thirty /ˈθɜːti/ |
| fourteen /ˌfɔːˈtiːn/ | forty /ˈfɔːti/ |
| fifteen /ˌfɪfˈtiːn/ | fifty /ˈfɪfti/ |
| sixteen | sixty |
| seventeen | seventy |
| eighteen /ˌeɪˈtiːn/ | eighty /ˈeɪti/ |
| nineteen | ninety |
-teen ends in a long /iː/ and an /n/. -ty ends in a short /i/ with no /n/. On its own, thirTEEN is stressed at the end, THIRty at the start.
Watch out: before a noun, the stress of -teen moves to the front: THIRteen PEOple. Then only the long /iːn/ tells you it is 13. If in doubt, check: Thirteen, one-three?
Saying Numbers in British English
Phone numbers, years, prices and dates.
| Type | Written | Say |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number | 0161 455 7720 | oh one six one, double four five, double seven two oh |
| Hundreds | 350 | three hundred and fifty |
| Large numbers | 2,450,000 | two million, four hundred and fifty thousand |
| Decimals | 3.75 | three point seven five |
| Fractions | ½, ¼, ¾ | a half, a quarter, three quarters |
| Prices | £4.99 | four pounds ninety-nine, or four ninety-nine |
| Years | 1998 / 2005 / 2026 | nineteen ninety-eight / two thousand and five / twenty twenty-six |
| Dates | 11/10/2026 | the eleventh of October / October the eleventh |
| Percent | 15% | fifteen per cent |
2Ordinal numbers: the tricky endings
- first
- second
- third /θɜːd/
- fifth /fɪfθ/
- sixth /sɪksθ/
- eighth /eɪtθ/
- ninth /naɪnθ/
- twelfth /twelfθ/
- twentieth /ˈtwentiəθ/
Practice
Say these aloud. Then ask a partner to write down what they hear.
- My phone number is oh seven nine four, double two six, eight one three.
- The meeting is on the thirteenth, not the thirtieth.
- It costs fifteen pounds fifty, not fifty pounds fifteen.
- My name is Weber: W for Whiskey, E, B for Bravo, E, R.
- The train leaves at seventeen forty from platform fourteen.
Tip for German speakers: German letter names cause most problems: English E is German „i“, English I is „ai“, and English A is like German „eh“. Practise spelling your own name and address until it is automatic.
Check Yourself
Decide, then open the answer.
-
How do you say the letter J?
Show answer
/dʒeɪ/, like the start of jay.
-
How do you say the letter E?
Show answer
/iː/, like see without the s.
-
British name for Z?
Show answer
zed /zed/
-
How do you hear the difference between 14 and 40?
Show answer
fourteen ends in long /iːn/; forty ends in short /i/ with no /n/.
-
How do you say £2.50?
Show answer
two pounds fifty, or two fifty
-
How do you say 2007 as a year?
Show answer
two thousand and seven
-
How do you say 0 in a phone number in British English?
Show answer
„oh“, like the letter O.
Keep Practising
Related pages in the Pronunciation Studio.
Clear Numbers, Clear Names
Learn the letters in sound groups, listen for the long /iːn/ in -teen, and practise your own name, number and email until you can say them without thinking.
Spell it. Say it. Check it.
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