letra

See also: létra and Letras

Albanian

Noun

letra

1. inflection of letër:
   1. definite nominative singular
   2. indefinite nominative/accusative plural

Basque

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish letra and French lettre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /letra/ [le.t̪ra]
• Rhymes: -etra, -a
• Hyphenation: le‧tra

Noun

letra inan

1. letter of the alphabet

   Synonym: izki

2. handwriting

   Synonym: idazkera

3. (Northern) letter (written message)

   Synonyms: gutun, eskutitz

4. (banking) ellipsis of kanbio-letra (“bill of exchange”)

Declension

Declension of letra (inan a-stem)

	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	letra	letra	letrak	letrok
ergative	letrak	letrak	letrek	letrok
dative	letrari	letrari	letrei	letroi
genitive	letraren	letraren	letren	letron
comitative	letrarekin	letrarekin	letrekin	letrokin
causative	letrarengatik	letrarengatik	letrengatik	letrongatik
benefactive	letrarentzat	letrarentzat	letrentzat	letrontzat
instrumental	letraz	letraz	letrez	letrotaz
inessive	letratan	letran	letretan	letrotan
locative	letratako	letrako	letretako	letrotako
allative	letratara	letrara	letretara	letrotara
terminative	letrataraino	letraraino	letretaraino	letrotaraino
directive	letratarantz	letrarantz	letretarantz	letrotarantz
destinative	letratarako	letrarako	letretarako	letrotarako
ablative	letratatik	letratik	letretatik	letrotatik
partitive	letrarik	—	—	—
prolative	letratzat	—	—	—

Derived terms

• kanbio-letra (“bill of exchange”)
• letra etzan (“italics”)
• letra larri (“upper case”)
• letra lodi (“bold”)
• letra xehe (“lower case”)
• letra-gizon
• letra-tipo
• letradun (“learned”)
• letragabe (“illiterate”)
• letragabeko (“illiterate”)
• letraldatu (“to transliterate”)
• letratu (“learned”)
• letraz (“in written form”)
• letrazale

Related terms

• letradu

Further reading

• “letra”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “letra”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish letra (“letter of the alphabet”), from Latin littera.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: le‧tra

Noun

letra

1. letter (of the alphabet)

Classical Nahuatl

Etymology

From Spanish letra, from Latin littera.

Noun

letra

1. A letter of the alphabet.
   • 16C: Bernardino de Sahagún, Florentine Codex, book 10

     in jntlatolpan, vnca in letra. R.

     (in their language was the letter r.)

References

• Sahagún, Bernardino de (1961), Arthur J. O. Anderson, Charles E. Dibble, transl., Florentine Codex: Book 10 - The People, Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, page 182

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese letra, letera, from Latin littera (“letter”), from Etruscan [Term?], from Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra, “tablet”).

Noun

letra f (plural letras)

1. letter of the alphabet

Further reading

• “letra”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

Ilocano

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish letra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈletɾa/ [ˈlet.ɾa]
• Hyphenation: let‧ra

Noun

létra (plural letletra or letras or dagiti letra, Kur-itan spelling ᜎᜒᜆ᜔ᜎ)

1. letter of the alphabet

Derived terms

• letraan

References

• Rubino, Carl Ralph Galvez (2000), “letra”, in Byron W. Bender, editor, Ilocano Dictionary and Grammar: Ilocano-English, English-Ilocano‎^[1] (overall work in English and Ilocano), Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 325

Kankanaey

Etymology

Borrowed either directly from Spanish letra or through Ilocano letra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈletɾa/ [ˈlet̚.ɾʌ]
• (Sagada, parts of Sabangan) IPA^(key): /ˈretɾa/ [ˈret̚.ɾʌ]
• Rhymes: -etɾa
• Syllabification: let‧ra

Noun

letra

1. letter of the alphabet

References

• Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (2016), Ortograpiya di Kankanaëy [Kankanaey Orthography]‎^[2] (in Kankanaey and Tagalog), →ISBN, pages 10-11

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin littera.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

letra f (plural letras)

1. letter (a symbol in an alphabet)

Portuguese

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese letra, letera, from Latin littera (“letter”), from Etruscan [Term?], from Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra, “tablet”).

Alternative forms

• lêtra (pre-reform spelling)
• lettra (pre-standardization spelling)

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈle.tɾɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈle.tɾɐ/

• Rhymes: -etɾɐ
• Hyphenation: le‧tra

Noun

letra f (plural letras)

1. letter (letter of the alphabet)

   Coordinate terms: glifo, hieróglifo, ideograma, pictograma, runa

2. calligraphy (style of handwriting of a person), handwriting

   Synonyms: caligrafia, escrita

3. (informal) font

   Synonym: fonte

4. (music) lyrics (words of a song)
5. (soccer) clipping of chute de letra (“rabona”)

   Synonyms: (Brazil) rabona, (Brazil) charles, (Brazil) chaleira, de letra

Derived terms

• à letra
• boas letras
• de letra
• letra historiada
• letra média
• letra moçárabe
• letra morta
• letra plena
• letra promissória
• letra toledana
• letras sagradas
• letreiro
• letrista
• tirar de letra

Related terms

• beletrismo
• letrado
• letrar
• literal
• literário
• literatura

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Alternative forms

• lettra (pre-standardization spelling)

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ.tɾɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛ.tɾɐ/

• Rhymes: -ɛtɾɐ
• Hyphenation: le‧tra

Verb

letra

1. inflection of letrar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• letra on the Portuguese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^pt
• “letra”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romansh

Etymology

From Latin littera (“letter”), from Etruscan [Term?], from Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra, “tablet”).

Noun

letra f (plural letras)

1. (Sutsilvan) letter (of the alphabet)

Synonyms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran) bustab
• (Puter, Vallader) custab

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin littera (“letter”), from Etruscan [Term?], from Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra, “tablet”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈletɾa/ [ˈle.t̪ɾa]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -etɾa
• Syllabification: le‧tra

Noun

letra f (plural letras)

1. letter (symbol)

   Hypernym: carácter

2. handwriting
3. lyrics
4. (banking, finance) installment, payment (of a loan or debt)

Derived terms

• a la letra
• al pie de la letra
• apurar una letra
• bellas letras
• buenas letras
• con todas las letras
• cotejo de letras
• cuatro letras
• de puño y letra
• dos letras
• hombre de letras
• juntaletras
• letra bastardilla
• letra canina
• letra capital
• letra chica
• letra corrida
• letra cursiva
• letra de caja alta
• letra de caja baja
• letra de cambio
• letra de guarismo
• letra de imprenta
• letra de mano
• letra de molde
• letra de Tortis
• letra gótica
• letra itálica
• letra lunar
• letra mayúscula
• letra minúscula
• letra numeral
• letra pequeña
• letra por letra
• letra redonda
• letra redondilla
• letra romanilla
• letra superior
• letra titular
• letra versal
• letra versalita
• letra versilla
• letra volada
• letra voladita
• letras chinas
• letras comunicatorias
• letras divinas
• letras gordas
• letras góticas
• letras humanas
• letras sagradas
• letrilla
• mujer de letras
• primeras letras
• sopa de letras
• tipo de letra
• unas letras

Descendants

• → Chavacano: letra
• → Classical Nahuatl: letra
• → Tagalog: letra

Further reading

• “letra”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish letra, from Latin littera (“letter”), from Etruscan [Term?], from Ancient Greek διφθέρα (diphthéra, “tablet”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈletɾa/ [ˈlɛt̪.ɾɐ]
• Rhymes: -etɾa
• Syllabification: let‧ra

Noun

letra (Baybayin spelling ᜎᜒᜆ᜔ᜇ)

1. letter (of the alphabet)

   Synonym: titik

2. penmanship; style of handwriting

   Synonym: sulat-kamay

3. letter type

   Synonym: tipo

4. lyrics (of a song)

   Synonym: titik

5. style by which letters were made by hands

   Synonyms: pagkakaletra, pagkakapagletra

6. literature

   Synonyms: panitikan, literatura

Derived terms

• letrahan
• letrang bulakbol
• pagkakaletra
• pagkakapagletra
• pagleletra
• tagaletra
• tagapagletra

Related terms

• aliterasyon
• iletrado
• iliterasiya
• iliterato
• ilitereyt
• leterhed
• letering
• letra-por-letra
• letrado
• letrero
• literal
• literaryo
• literasi
• literasiya
• literato
• literatura
• litereyt

Further reading

• “letra”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “letra”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018