lettered

Lettered is an English adjective and past participle derived from letter. It has several related senses centered on the presence of letters or the ability to use them. In general use, "lettered" can describe a person who can read and write—i.e., literate or educated—often contrasted with "unlettered" to imply lack of schooling or sophistication.

Historically, "lettered" has also referred to inscriptions or surfaces bearing letters. When a surface is lettered, letters have been inscribed, painted, or carved onto it. Signage, monuments, gravestones, and official plaques are commonly described as lettered when their lettering is a notable feature.

In the arts and design, "lettered" is used to denote lettering created by hand rather than by typeset or digital fonts. Hand-lettered signs, posters, logos, and illustrations emphasize the craft of drawing or painting individual letters. The term can also describe epigraphic or palaeographic inscriptions on artifacts where the text is an object of study.

Related terms include literacy, literate, unlettered, epigraphy, and typography.