# The Alphabet **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 2, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304 "2002-04-02T00:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/1 "2002-04-02T00:37:50Z")
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/2 "2002-04-02T00:39:44Z")
rehab’s boring, isn’t it… or was this a parody of an alphabet? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/3 "2002-04-02T00:46:58Z")
0123456789 ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/4 "2002-04-02T01:00:33Z")
Why is it in that order? Is it because of that song? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/5 "2002-04-02T01:01:17Z")
~`@#$%^&\*()\_-=+{}:";’\>?./,\<|?e§ ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/6 "2002-04-02T01:02:42Z")
This is the alphabet: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ This is the alphabet on drugs: QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/7 "2002-04-02T01:04:19Z")
So, I guess those are all the distinct characters you can make with a keyboard. Oh, if you want to be technical, there’s this: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz The lowercase. In my opinion it’s a derivative work that doesn’t stand on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/8 "2002-04-02T01:06:08Z")
So this is the reason I offered him a regular column in Teemings? ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/9 "2002-04-02T01:11:58Z")
I think your alphabetical piece doesn’t hold a candle to: one two three FOUR five, six seven eight NINE ten, eleventwelve. An expressive work that invokes a subliminal reaction in its iteration. It’s the difference between art and arty. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/10 "2002-04-02T01:12:56Z")
¦ I just found that one. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/11 "2002-04-02T01:15:26Z")
Ä I don’t think that one counts since it’s just an A with with two periods on top of it. Come to think of it, the semicolon doesn’t really coun’t either. It’s just paired periods. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/12 "2002-04-02T01:16:46Z")
? Ooooooh, the oft forgoten long S. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/13 "2002-04-02T01:18:02Z")
Hey, it didn’t work. Maybe this way: _f_ ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/14 "2002-04-02T01:20:07Z")
I can’t beleive this bulletin board doesn’t support the long s. Sheesh. Let’s see what else: ± Is that a distinct character or just an underlined +? The latter, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/15 "2002-04-02T01:24:03Z")
ñ Oooooooooh. ¶ Ahhhhhhh. á Wheeeee. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/16 "2002-04-02T01:37:52Z")
µ ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/17 "2002-04-02T01:38:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > \*\*Come to think of it, the semicolon doesn’t really count either. It’s just paired periods. \*\* **Scylla** , may I offer a gentle correction? A semicolon is a period paired with a comma, while a **colon** is two paired periods. **A semicolon looks like this --------\> ;** **A colon looks like this --------------\> :** However, since we’re on the subject of symbolism, how about these? à, è, ì, ò, ù À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù á, é, í, ó, ú, ý Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý â, ê, î, ô, û Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û ã, ñ, õ Ã, Ñ, Õ ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ Ä, Ë, Ï, Ö, Ü, Ÿ å, Å æ, Æ œ, Œ ç, Ç ð, Ð ø, Ø ¿ ¡ ß ° © § ¦ ¥ ¤ £ ¢ ¡ Ÿ œ š › ™ ˜ — – • " " ’ ‘  | ƒ „ … † ‡ ‰ ˆ Š ‹ Œ Ð × þ I’m sure there are more, but I don’t really want to look them all up! ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/18 "2002-04-02T01:41:42Z")
ß ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/19 "2002-04-02T01:43:57Z")
How’d you find the long s? ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2002, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304/20 "2002-04-02T01:48:02Z")
say goodnight, Scylla [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alphabet/101304.md?page=2)