There Is Actually A Little-Known 27th Letter In The English Alphabet

Photo: Getty Images

You've known the alphabet for almost all of your life - it is one of the first things many kids are taught. While you've probably mastered all 26 letters during your years, but what you might now know is that there is actually a 27th letter.

A video on TikTok is spreading the word about the lesser-known last letter, which is &, better known as ampersand.

The clip, which also reveals why signs on the highway are green, goes on to explain how about two-hundred years ago, the ampersand followed Z in the alphabet. Back then, much like it does now, it signified the word "and."

As for how the alphabet would be recited with the 27th letter, they would say, "R S T U V W X Y Z and per se and." Per se is the Latin for "by itself." Eventually, "and per se and" became "ampersand."

People were pretty impressed with the video, but one commenter had the sensible note, "Should’ve put & before Z and after Y."

As for what happened to the ampersand letter, it took until 1835 for it to no longer get taught to students and for the alphabet to drop to the 26 letters that we all know today.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content