# An A-Z history of the English alphabet

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104/an-a-z-history-of-the-english-alphabet
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104/an-a-z-history-of-the-english-alphabet.md
Podcast: [HistoryExtra podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104)
Published: 2026-06-30T23:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR6217986882.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR6217986882.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/historyextra-podcast-746104/episodes/an-a-z-history-of-the-english-alphabet
Duration seconds: 2879

## Resource

Which letter of the English alphabet did Benjamin Franklin think we'd be better off without? Why must the letter U (almost) always follow the letter Q? And what is the point of silent letters? From the first scratches carved into stone to the maddening mysteries of modern English spelling, the alphabet has had a long and extraordinary journey. In this episode, Emily Briffett is joined by linguist, writer and broadcaster Danny Bate to explore the history of the English alphabet, and the strange story behind the letters we use every day. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Curious to find out more about the ancient civilisations who greatly influenced the alphabet's trajectory? Leanr more about the Phoenicians with Josephine Quinn here: https://bit.ly/42nZ5iC And check out this episode on the Etruscans with Lucy Shipley here: https://bit.ly/48O2T0g Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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## Transcript

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