# Does Anyone Else Have to Sing the Alphabet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 3, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235 "2002-12-03T16:21:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/1 "2002-12-03T16:21:17Z")
Someone at work was looking something up in my dictionary today and I heard her softly singing to herself, “a-b-c-d-_E_-f-g . . .” and I realized I am not the only person who has to sing to myself to remember what letter comes after which. Till I was 12, I thought “elemenoh” was one letter . . . Do people in other countries sing _their_ alphabets, too? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/2 "2002-12-03T16:24:28Z")
That whole section from G to L I get confused on and have to sing sometimes if I’m trying to file things in alphabetical order. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/3 "2002-12-03T16:25:02Z")
Russians don’t, apparently. I’ve asked several of them if they have an “Alphabet Song”, and they’ve never heard of one. The Mandarin Chinese alphabet must be a stone bitch, though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/4 "2002-12-03T16:26:03Z")
“Alphabet song”, that is. I know Chinese doesn’t have an alphabet so just sit your pedantic butts right back down. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/5 "2002-12-03T16:29:25Z")
I thought I was alone. Though I don’t necessarily need to sing it out loud, just recite it in my head. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/6 "2002-12-03T16:32:45Z")
Can’t answer you question, Eve, but I, too, have to sometimes sing the alphabet (to myself, of course) to remember what letter comes next. For some reason, I have trouble with g through l. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/7 "2002-12-03T16:33:59Z")
I have to sing the alphabet, and I to thought “elemenoh” was a single letter for a long time. I also have to sing the Preamble to the Constitution and do the whole “Thirty days hath November…” to know how whether the month has changed yet. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/8 "2002-12-03T16:34:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cliffy \* > \*\*That whole section from G to L I get confused on and have to sing sometimes if I’m trying to file things in alphabetical order. > > –Cliffy \*\* This is exactly the same section I have trouble with, get out of my mind! Yes, I sing to get through it. ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/9 "2002-12-03T17:10:18Z")
Yes, and I have to sing in my head to spell “Mississippi” too. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/10 "2002-12-03T17:15:48Z")
Ditto on singing the alphabet (under my breath or in my head!) and “30 days hath November.” It could be worse! My brother has a sequencing disability and at the age of 18 still can’t get the days of the week in order. ---
**Author:** ![panache](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@panache](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/11 "2002-12-03T17:30:03Z")
Anybody still sing for “ENCYCLOPEDIA?” ---
**Author:** ![flood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@flood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flood)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/12 "2002-12-03T17:32:17Z")
I thought I was alone on this as well. Apparently I’m not the only one that has to sing out the alphabet. And I too have trouble with G thru L. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/13 "2002-12-03T17:33:49Z")
I’ve done this to determine what number a letter is (D=4, etc.) … ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/14 "2002-12-03T17:36:17Z")
Whenever I have to check the alpha order of a list of states, I have to sing “Fifty Nifty United States” in my head. Who knew that at age 35, I’d still be singing a song at least once a week that I leanred back in the fourth grade? ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/15 "2002-12-03T17:38:26Z")
I used to ‘sing’ the alphabet, silently, on occasion. I can’t recall doing it in the last few years. Either I finally got the order of the alphabet memorized, or I stopped doing things that required alphabetical order. I suspect the latter. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/16 "2002-12-03T17:40:31Z")
_raises hand_ ---
**Author:** ![cichlidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cichlidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cichlidiot)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/17 "2002-12-03T17:41:37Z")
I sing the alphabet also. When I was taking Spanish, our teacher had us sing the alphabet to the same tune to help us learn it. It helped, but it caused some giggles when we reached the l - n part and x just doesn’t rhyme with anything. “ellay ayay emay enay enyay” 😃 Sure was a fun class. [hi-jack] How does the “30 days hath November” song go? I was taught it once, and though I still use it, I can’t remember the last part with February and so mine doesn’t rhyme now. [/hi-jack] ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/18 "2002-12-03T17:50:40Z")
“Thirty days hath November, April, June, and December. All the rest have thirty-nine, except for August, which is fine.” I _think_ that’s how it goes . . . ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/19 "2002-12-03T17:51:59Z")
I don’t know about other countries, but I’m surprised to see all the other Americans who have checked in here so far saying that they have to sing the alphabet. I don’t, but I do occasionally have to visualize my 1st grade classroom wall to see those cardboard letters pinned up above the blackboard (in alphabetical order, of course). Maybe _I’m_ the weird one here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235/20 "2002-12-03T17:55:09Z")
I don’t have to, but every once in a while I’ll break out with “Ab-cadef-guhjeckel-minop-kerstoov-wix-is, it’s the most unusual word I’ve ever seen…” Another reason why my kids think I’m strange. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-have-to-sing-the-alphabet/140235.md?page=2)