# The origins of the alphabet

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/words-unravelled-with-robwords-and-jess-zafarris-6871407/the-origins-of-the-alphabet
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/words-unravelled-with-robwords-and-jess-zafarris-6871407/the-origins-of-the-alphabet.md
Podcast: [Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris](https://stenobird.com/podcast/words-unravelled-with-robwords-and-jess-zafarris-6871407)
Published: 2026-05-20T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8905099
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audioboom.com/posts/8905099.mp3?modified=1779138651&sid=5128892&source=rss
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/words-unravelled-with-robwords-and-jess-zafarris-6871407/episodes/the-origins-of-the-alphabet
Duration seconds: 2500

## Resource

Let's explore the mysteries of our weird alphabet. Rob and Jess are joined by Danny Bate, author of Why Q Needs U, to discuss where our letters came from and why they make the noises they make. 🅰️ How was A originally an ox? 𝑄 Why does Q always appear with U? 🦓 Is it ZEE or ZED? These questions answered and so many more in an alphabetically astounding episode of Words Unravelled. 📖 Buy Danny's book, WHY Q NEEDS U: https://geni.us/WhyQNeedsU 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/EqaYS3vWKGY

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## Transcript

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