Lletres

Lletres, plural of lletre, are the basic symbols of writing in the Catalan language. They are used to represent the sounds of speech and to spell words, sentences, and texts. In a writing system, lletres function as the building blocks of literacy and communication.

The Catalan alphabet is based on the Latin script. The modern alphabet uses 26 basic letters, from A to Z. In ordinary usage, letters k, w and y appear mainly in loanwords or proper names, rather than in native words. Each letter can appear in uppercase or lowercase, and capitalization follows standard rules of Catalan orthography.

Diacritics and certain orthographic signs modify letters to indicate different sounds, stresses, or distinctions between words. Vowels may carry accents to mark accent placement and vowel quality, while other diacritics and punctuation help convey meaning and pronunciation. The official standard for Catalan orthography is maintained by the Institut d'Estudis Catalans, and is taught in schools and used in media and publishing.

Historically, lletres originated from the Latin alphabet, adapted to the phonology of Catalan as the language developed. The concept of letters and their ordering underpins dictionary organization, literacy education, and alphabetic search in catalogs and databases.