View source for A

{{Short description|First letter of the Latin alphabet}}
{{About|the Latin letter|the similar Greek letter|Alpha|the similar Cyrillic letter|A (Cyrillic)|other uses}}
{{Technical reasons|A#|A-sharp|A-sharp (disambiguation){{!}}A-sharp}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{bots|deny=Citation bot}}{{CS1 config|mode=}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox grapheme
|letter = A a
|script = [[Latin script]]
|type = [[Alphabet]]
|typedesc = ic
|language = [[Latin language]]
|phonemes={{grid list|width=2em|[{{IPAlink|a}}]|[{{IPAlink|ɑ}}]|[{{IPAlink|ɒ}}]|[{{IPAlink|æ}}]|[{{IPAlink|ə}}]|[{{IPAlink|ɛ}}]|[{{IPAlink|oː}}]|[{{IPAlink|ɔ}}]|[{{IPAlink|e}}]|[{{IPAlink|ʕ}}]|[{{IPAlink|ʌ}}] [{{IPAlink|ɐ}}] |{{IPAc-en|eɪ}}}}
|unicode=U+0041, U+0061
|alphanumber = 1
|fam1=<hiero>F1</hiero>
|fam2=[[File:Proto-semiticA-01.svg|20px|Proto-Sinaitic 'alp]]
|fam3=[[File:Protoalef.svg|20px|Proto-Caananite aleph]]
|fam4=[[File:Phoenician_aleph.svg|20px|Phoenician aleph]]
|fam5=[[Alpha|Α α]]
|fam6=[[𐌀]][[File:Greek-uncial-1.jpg|20px|Greek classical uncial]]
|fam7=[[File:Semitic-2.jpg|20px|Early Latin A]][[File:Latin-uncial-1.jpg|20px|Latin 300 AD uncial, version 1]]
|usageperiod={{circa|700 BCE}}{{snd}}present
|children={{grid list|
* [[Æ]]
* [[Ä]]
* [[Â]]
* [[Ɑ]]
* [[Ʌ]]
* [[Ɐ]]
* [[ª]]
* [[Å]]
* [[₳]]
* [[@]]
* [[Ⓐ]]
* [[ⓐ]]
* [[⒜]]
* {{not a typo|[[🅰]]}}}}
|sisters={{grid list|width=3em|
* [[𐌰]]
* [[А]]
* [[Я]]
* [[Ә]]
* [[Ӑ]]
* [[Aleph|<span>א</span> <span>ا</span> <span>ܐ</span>]]
* [[ࠀ]]
* [[𐎀]]
* [[ℵ]]
* [[አ]]
* [[ء]]
* [[Ա|Ա ա]]
* [[અ]]
* [[अ]]
* [[অ]]}}
|associates=[[List of Latin-script digraphs#A|a(x)]], [[Ae (digraph)|ae]], [[Eau (trigraph)|eau]], [[Au (digraph)|au]]
|direction=Left-to-right
|image=Latin_letter_A.svg}}
{{Latin letter info|a}}
'''A''', or '''a''', is the first [[Letter (alphabet)|letter]] and the first [[vowel letter]] of the [[Latin alphabet]],<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Latin-alphabet |title=Latin alphabet |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>{{sfn|Simpson|Weiner|1989|p=1}} used in the modern [[English alphabet]], and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''[[English alphabet#Letter names|a]]'' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|eɪ}} {{respell|AY}}), plural ''aes''.{{refn|group=nb|''Aes'' is the plural of the name of the letter. The plural of the letter itself is rendered ''A''s, A's, ''a''s, or a's.}}{{sfn|Simpson|Weiner|1989|p=1}}

It is similar in shape to the [[Ancient Greek]] letter [[alpha]], from which it derives.{{sfn|McCarter|1974|p=54}} The [[uppercase]] version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version is often written in one of two forms: the double-storey {{gph|a}} and single-storey {{gph|ɑ}}. The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in [[italic type]].

In English, ''[[English articles|a]]'' is the [[indefinite article]], with the
alternative form ''an''.

== Name ==
In English, the name of the letter is the ''long A'' sound, pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|eɪ}}. Its name in most other languages matches the letter's pronunciation in [[open syllable]]s.
{{wide image|Pronunciation of the name of the letter ⟨a⟩ in European languages.png|460px|Pronunciation of the name of the letter {{angbr|a}} in European languages. {{IPA|/a/}} and {{IPA|/aː/}} can differ phonetically between {{IPAblink|a}}, {{IPAblink|ä}}, {{IPAblink|æ}} and {{IPAblink|ɑ}} depending on the language.}}

== History ==
The earliest known ancestor of A is ''[[aleph]]''—the first letter of the [[Phoenician alphabet]]{{sfn|Hoiberg|2010|p=1}}—where it represented a [[glottal stop]] {{IPA|[ʔ]}}, as Phoenician only used  [[consonant]]al letters. In turn, the ancestor of aleph may have been a [[pictogram]] of an ox head in [[proto-Sinaitic script]]{{sfn|Hall-Quest|1997|p=1}} influenced by [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]], styled as a triangular head with two horns extended.

When the [[ancient Greeks]] adopted the alphabet, they had no use for a letter representing a [[glottal stop]]—so they adapted sign to represent the vowel {{IPAslink|a}}, calling the letter by the similar name ''[[alpha]]''. In the earliest Greek inscriptions dating to the 8th century&nbsp;BC following the [[Greek Dark Ages]], the letter rests upon its side. However, in the later [[Greek alphabet]] it generally resembles the modern capital form—though many local varieties can be distinguished by the shortening of one leg, or by the angle at which the cross line is set.

The [[Etruscans]] brought the Greek alphabet to the [[Italian Peninsula]], and left the form of alpha unchanged. When the Romans adopted the [[Etruscan alphabet]] to write [[Latin]], the resulting form used in the [[Latin script]] would come to be used to write many  other languages, including English.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background-color:#EEE;text-align:center"
! scope="col" | Egyptian
! scope="col" | Proto-Sinaitic
! scope="col" | Proto-Canaanite
! scope="col" | Phoenician
! scope="col" | Western Greek
! scope="col" | Etruscan
! scope="col" | Latin
|- style="background-color:white;text-align:center"
| [[File:EgyptianA-01.svg|40px|Egyptian hieroglyphic ox head]]
| [[File:Proto-semiticA-01.svg|35px|Boeotian]]
| [[File:Protoalef.svg|35px|Semitic A, version 1]]
| [[File:PhoenicianA-01.svg|40px|Phoenician aleph]]
| [[File:Greek Alpha 03.svg|35px|Greek ''alpha'', version 1]]
| [[File:EtruscanA.svg|25px|Etruscan A, version 1]]
| [[File:Capitalis monumentalis A.svg|30px|Latin A]]
|}
=== Typographic variants ===
{{stack begin}}
[[File:A-small glyphs.svg|thumb|upright=0.55|Different [[glyphs]] of the lowercase letter {{angbr|a}}]]
[[File:LowercaseA.svg|thumb|upright=0.55|[[Allograph]]s include a double-storey {{angbr|a}} and single-storey {{angbr|ɑ}}.]]
{{stack end}}
During Roman times, there were many variant forms of the letter A. First was the monumental or lapidary style, which was used when inscribing on stone or other more permanent media. There was also a [[cursive]] style used for everyday or utilitarian writing, which was done on more perishable surfaces. Due to the perishable nature of these surfaces, there are not as many examples of this style as there are of the monumental, but there are still many surviving examples of different types of cursive, such as [[majuscule]] cursive, [[minuscule]] cursive, and semi-cursive minuscule. Variants also existed that were intermediate between the monumental and cursive styles. The known variants include the early [[semi-uncial]], the uncial, and the later semi-uncial.{{sfn|Diringer|2000|p=1}}

{| cellspacing="8" cellpadding="0"
|- style="text-align:center"
|[[File:BlackletterA-01.svg|Blackletter]][[Blackletter]]
|[[File:UncialA-01.svg|Uncial A]] [[Uncial]]
|- style="text-align:center"
|[[File:ModernRomanA-01.svg|64px|Modern Roman A]] Roman
|[[File:Modern Italic A.svg|64px|Modern Italic A]] Italic
|[[File:Modern Script A.svg|64px|Modern Script A]] Script
|}

At the end of the [[Roman Empire]] (5th century AD), several variants of the cursive minuscule developed through Western Europe. Among these were the semi-cursive minuscule of Italy, the [[Merovingian script]] in France, the [[Visigothic script]] in Spain, and the [[Insular script|Insular]] or Anglo-Irish semi-uncial or Anglo-Saxon majuscule of Great Britain. By the ninth century, the [[Caroline script]], which was very similar to the present-day form, was the principal form used in book-making, before the advent of the printing press. This form was derived through a combining of prior forms.{{sfn|Diringer|2000|p=1}}

[[File:Road sign on the R639 north of Urlingford, Ireland - 20090502.jpg|thumb|right|Road sign in Ireland showing the Irish "Latin alpha" form of {{angbr|a}} in lower and upper case forms]]
15th-century Italy saw the formation of the two main variants that are known today. These variants, the ''Italic'' and ''Roman'' forms, were derived from the Caroline Script version. The Italic form {{angbr|ɑ}}, also called ''script a'', is often used in [[handwriting]]; it consists of a circle with a vertical stroke on its right. In the hands of medieval Irish and English writers, this form gradually developed from a 5th-century form resembling the Greek letter [[tau]] {{angbr|τ}}.{{sfn|Hoiberg|2010|p=1}} The Roman form {{angbr|a}} is found in most printed material, and consists of a small loop with an arc over it.{{sfn|Diringer|2000|p=1}} Both derive from the majuscule form {{angbr|A}}. In Greek handwriting, it was common to join the left leg and horizontal stroke into a single loop, as demonstrated by the uncial version shown. Many fonts then made the right leg vertical. In some of these, the [[serif]] that began the right leg stroke developed into an arc, resulting in the printed form, while in others it was dropped, resulting in the modern handwritten form. Graphic designers refer to the ''Italic'' and ''Roman'' forms as ''single-decker a'' and ''double decker a'' respectively.

[[Italic type]] is commonly used to mark emphasis or more generally to distinguish one part of a text from the rest set in Roman type. There are some other cases aside from italic type where ''script a'' {{angbr|ɑ}}, also called ''[[Latin alpha]]'', is used in contrast with Latin {{angbr|a}}, such as in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]].

== Use in writing systems ==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ Pronunciation of {{angbr|a}} by language
! width="5em" scope="col" | Orthography
! scope="col" | Phonemes
|-
! scope="row" | {{nwr|[[Standard Chinese]]}} ([[Pinyin]])
| {{IPAslink|a}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[English orthography|English]]
| {{IPAslink|æ}}, {{IPAslink|ɑː}}, {{IPAslink|ɒ}}, {{IPAslink|ɔː}}, {{IPA link|ɛ|/ɛː/}}, {{IPA|/eɪ/}}, {{IPAslink|ə}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[French orthography|French]]
| {{IPAslink|a}}, {{IPAslink|ɑ}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[German orthography|German]]
| {{IPAslink|a}}, {{IPAslink|aː}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Portuguese orthography|Portuguese]] 
| {{IPAslink|a}}, {{IPAslink|ɐ}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Saanich dialect|Saanich]]
| {{IPAslink|e}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Spanish orthography|Spanish]]
| {{IPAslink|a}}
|-
! scope="row" | [[Turkish alphabet|Turkish]]
| {{IPAslink|a}}
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ Cross-linguistic variation of {{angbr|a}} pronunciation
! Phone !! Orthography
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center" | {{IPAblink|a}}
| [[Chuvash language|Chuvash]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Malay language|Malay]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Stavangersk|Stavangersk Norwegian]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]], [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], [[Turkish alphabet|Turkish]], [[Dutch dialects|Utrecht Dutch]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|aː}}
| [[Dutch language|Dutch]] (doubled), [[German language|German]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|a̠}}
| [[Afrikaans]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|a̠ː}}
| [[New Zealand English]], [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]], [[Limburgish]] (doubled), [[Luxembourgish]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|ä}}
| [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Czech language|Czech]], [[French language|French]], [[Northern England English]], [[Terengganu Malay]], [[Polish language|Polish]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|äː}}
| [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]] (doubled)
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center" | {{IPAblink|ɑ}}
| [[Bashkir language|Bashkir]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[French language|French]], [[Kaingang language|Kaingang]], [[Limburgish]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[West Frisian language|West Frisian]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|ɑː}}
| [[Afrikaans]] (doubled), [[Danish language|Danish]], [[German language|German]], [[Southern England English]], [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|ɑ̝}}
| [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]], [[Luxembourgish]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center" | {{IPAblink|ɒ}}
| [[Southern England English]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Kedah Malay]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|ɒː}}
| [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|ɒ̜ː}}
| [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|ɒ̝ː}}
| [[Maastrichtian Limburgish]], [[Ulster Irish]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPAblink|æ}}
| [[Danish language|Danish]], [[English language|English]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Zeta–Raška dialect|Zeta–Raška Serbo-Croatian]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPAblink|ɐ}}
| [[Australian English]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], [[Catalan dialects|Central Catalan]], [[Emilian dialects|Emilian]], [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]
|-
! scope="row" | {{IPAblink|ɐ̝}}
| [[Mapudungun]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPAblink|ɛ}}
| [[New Zealand English]], [[Perak Malay]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPAblink|ɜ}}
| [[Chemnitz dialect|Chemnitz German]], [[Transylvanian varieties of Romanian|Transylvanian Romanian]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPAblink|ʌ}}
| [[Chemnitz dialect|Chemnitz German]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPAblink|ɔː}}
| [[Southern England English]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPAblink|ə}}
| [[English language|English]], [[Eastern Catalan]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPAblink|e}}
| [[Saanich language|Saanich]]
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | {{IPA|[eɪ]}}
| [[English language|English]]
|}

=== English ===
{{Further|Pronunciation of English ⟨a⟩}}
[[File:A for apple.jpg|thumb|In English language education, the word ''apple'' is consistently associated with the letter A.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mankin |first=Jennifer |last2=Simner |first2=Julia |date=May 30, 2017 |title=A Is for Apple: the Role of Letter-Word Associations in the Development of Grapheme-Colour Synaesthesia |url=https://sussex.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/A_is_for_apple_the_role_of_letter-word_associations_in_the_development_of_grapheme-colour_synaesthesia/23444111/1/files/41154893.pdf |journal=Multisensory Research |volume=30 |issue=3–5 |pages=409–446 |doi=10.1163/22134808-00002554 |pmid=31287075 |access-date=December 16, 2023| issn=2213-4794}}</ref>]]
In modern [[English orthography]], the letter {{angbr|a}} represents at least seven different vowel sounds, here represented using the vowels of [[Received Pronunciation]], with [[English-language vowel changes before historic /r/|effects of {{angbr|r}}]] ignored and mergers in [[General American]] mentioned where relevant:
*the [[near-open front unrounded vowel]] {{IPA|/æ/}} as in ''pad''
*the [[open back unrounded vowel]] {{IPA|/ɑː/}} as in ''father''—merged with {{IPAslink|ɒ}} as {{IPAslink|ɑ}} in [[General American]]—which is closer to its original Latin and Greek sound{{sfn|Hall-Quest|1997|p=1}}
*the [[open back rounded vowel]] {{IPA|/ɒ/}} (merged with {{IPA|/ɑː/}} as {{IPAslink|ɑ}} in [[General American]]) in ''was'' and ''what''{{sfn|Hoiberg|2010|p=1}}
*the [[open-mid back rounded vowel]] {{IPA|/ɔː/}} in ''water''
*the [[diphthong]] {{IPA|/eɪ/}} as in ''ace'' and ''major'', usually when {{vr|a}} is followed by one, or occasionally two, consonants and then another vowel letter—this results from [[Middle English lengthening]] followed by the [[Great Vowel Shift]]
*a [[schwa]] {{IPA|/ə/}} in many unstressed syllables, as in ''about'', ''comma'', ''solar''

The double {{angbr|aa}} sequence does not occur in native English words, but is found in some words derived from foreign languages such as ''Aaron'' and ''[[aardvark]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Gelb|Whiting|1998|p=45}}</ref> However, {{vr|a}} occurs in [[List of Latin-script digraphs|many common digraphs]], all with their own sound or sounds, particularly {{vr|ai}}, {{vr|au}}, {{vr|aw}}, {{vr|ay}}, {{vr|ea}} and {{vr|oa}}.

{{angbr|a}} is the third-most-commonly used letter in English after {{angbr|e}} and {{angbr|t}}, as well as in French; it is the second most common in Spanish, and the most common in Portuguese. {{angbr|a}} represents approximately 8.2% of letters as used in English texts;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Letter frequency (English) |url=http://en.algoritmy.net/article/40379/Letter-frequency-English |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304152631/http://en.algoritmy.net/article/40379/Letter-frequency-English |archive-date=2021-03-04 |access-date=2022-01-03}}</ref> the figure is around 7.6% in French<ref>{{Cite web |title=Corpus de Thomas Tempé |url=http://gpl.insa-lyon.fr/Dvorak-Fr/CorpusDeThomasTemp%C3%A9 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930194046/http://gpl.insa-lyon.fr/Dvorak-Fr/CorpusDeThomasTemp%C3%A9 |archive-date=2007-09-30 |access-date=2007-06-15 |language=fr}}</ref> 11.5% in Spanish,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pratt |first=Fletcher |title=Secret and Urgent: The story of codes and ciphers |publisher=Blue Ribbon |year=1942 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=254–5 |oclc=795065}}</ref> and 14.6% in Portuguese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequência da ocorrência de letras no Português |url=http://www.numaboa.com/criptografia/criptoanalise/310-Frequencia-no-Portugues |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803182254/http://www.numaboa.com/criptografia/criptoanalise/310-Frequencia-no-Portugues |archive-date=2009-08-03 |access-date=2009-06-16 |language=pt}}</ref>

=== Other languages ===
In most languages that use the Latin alphabet, {{angbr|a}} denotes an open unrounded vowel, such as {{IPAslink|a}}, {{IPAslink|ä}}, or {{IPAslink|ɑ}}. An exception is [[Saanich dialect|Saanich]], in which {{angbr|a}}—and the glyph {{angbr|[[Á]]}}—stands for a [[close-mid front unrounded vowel]] {{IPA|/e/}}.

=== Other systems ===
* In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], {{angbr IPA|a}} is used for the [[open front unrounded vowel]], {{angbr IPA|ä}} is used for the [[open central unrounded vowel]], and {{angbr IPA|ɑ}} is used for the [[open back unrounded vowel]].
* In [[X-SAMPA]], {{angbr|a}} is used for the [[open front unrounded vowel]] and {{angbr|A}} is used for the [[open back unrounded vowel]].

== Other uses ==
{{Main|A (disambiguation)}}
* When using [[base-16]] notation, A or a is the conventional numeral corresponding to the number 10.
* In [[algebra]], the letter ''a'' along with various other letters of the alphabet is often used to denote a [[Variable (mathematics)|variable]], with various conventional meanings in different areas of mathematics. In 1637, [[René Descartes]] "invented the convention of representing unknowns in equations by x, y, and z, and knowns by a, b, and c",<ref>Tom Sorell, ''Descartes: A Very Short Introduction'', (2000). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 19.</ref> and this convention is still often followed, especially in elementary algebra.
* In [[geometry]], capital Latin letters are used to denote objects including [[line segment]]s, [[line (geometry)|line]]s, and [[Line (geometry)#Ray|rays]]{{sfn|Diringer|2000|p=1}} A capital A is also typically used as one of the letters to represent an angle in a [[triangle]], the lowercase a representing the side opposite angle A.{{sfn|Hall-Quest|1997|p=1}}
* A is often used to denote something or someone of a better or more prestigious quality or status: A−, A or A+, the best grade that can be assigned by teachers for students' schoolwork; "A grade" for clean restaurants; [[A-list]] celebrities, [[A1 at Lloyd's]] for shipping, etc. Such associations can have a [[motivation|motivating]] effect, as exposure to the letter A has been found to improve performance, when compared with other letters.{{sfn|Ciani|Sheldon|2010|pp=99–100}} 
* A is used to denote size, as in a narrow size shoe,{{sfn|Hall-Quest|1997|p=1}} or a small cup size in a [[brassiere]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Luciani |first=Jené |title=The Bra Book: The Fashion Formula to Finding the Perfect Bra |year=2009 |publisher=Benbella |isbn=978-1-933771-94-6 |location=Dallas |pages=13}}</ref>

== Related characters ==
=== Latin alphabet ===
* [[Æ|{{angbr|Æ æ}}]]: a [[ligature (writing)|ligature]] of {{angbr|AE}} originally used in Latin
* {{angbr|A}} with [[diacritic]]s: [[Å|Å å]] [[Ǻ|Ǻ ǻ]] [[Ring (diacritic)|Ḁ ḁ]] [[ẚ]] [[Ă|Ă ă]] [[Ặ|Ặ ặ]] [[Ắ|Ắ ắ]] [[Ằ|Ằ ằ]] [[Ẳ|Ẳ ẳ]] [[Ẵ|Ẵ ẵ]] [[Ȃ|Ȃ ȃ]] [[Â|Â â]] [[Ậ|Ậ ậ]] [[Ấ|Ấ ấ]] [[Ầ|Ầ ầ]] [[Ẫ|Ẫ ẫ]] [[Ẩ|Ẩ ẩ]] [[Ả|Ả ả]] [[Caron|Ǎ ǎ]] [[Bar (diacritic)|Ⱥ ⱥ]] [[Dot (diacritic)|Ȧ ȧ]] [[Ǡ|Ǡ ǡ]] [[Dot (diacritic)|Ạ ạ]] [[Ä|Ä ä]] [[Ǟ|Ǟ ǟ]] [[À|À à]] [[Ȁ|Ȁ ȁ]] [[Á|Á á]] [[Ā|Ā ā]] Ā̀ ā̀ [[Ã|Ã ã]] [[Ą|Ą ą]] Ą́ ą́ Ą̃ ą̃ A̲ a̲ [[ᶏ]]<ref name="L204132">{{Citation |last=Constable |first=Peter |title=L2/04-132 Proposal to Add Additional Phonetic Characters to the UCS |date=19 April 2004 |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2004/04132-n2740-phonetic.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011014355/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2004/04132-n2740-phonetic.pdf |access-date=2018-03-24 |archive-date=2017-10-11 |url-status=live |via=www.unicode.org}}</ref>
*[[Phonetic transcription#Alphabetic|Phonetic alphabet]] symbols related to A—the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] only uses lowercase, but uppercase forms are used in some other writing systems: 
** {{angbr|Ɑ ɑ}}: [[Latin alpha]], represents an [[open back unrounded vowel]] in the IPA
** {{angbr|ᶐ}}: Latin small alpha with a retroflex hook<ref name="L204132" />
** {{angbr|Ɐ ɐ}}: [[Turned A]], represents a [[near-open central vowel]] in the IPA
** {{angbr|Λ ʌ}}: [[Turned V]], represents an [[open-mid back unrounded vowel]] in IPA
** {{angbr|Ɒ ɒ}}: Turned alpha or script A, represents an [[open back rounded vowel]] in the IPA
** {{angbr|ᶛ}}: Modifier letter small turned alpha<ref name="L204132" />
** {{angbr|ᴀ}}: Small capital A, an [[Obsolete and nonstandard symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet|obsolete or non-standard symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet]] used to represent various sounds (mainly open vowels)
**{{angbr|<sup>A a</sup> ᵄ}}: Modifier letters are used in the [[Uralic Phonetic Alphabet]] (UPA),<ref>{{Citation |last=Everson |first=Michael |title=L2/02-141: Uralic Phonetic Alphabet Characters for the UCS |date=20 March 2002 |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02141-n2419-uralic-phonetic.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219081033/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02141-n2419-uralic-phonetic.pdf |access-date=2018-03-24 |display-authors=etal |archive-date=2018-02-19 |author-link=Michael Everson |url-status=live |via=www.unicode.org}}</ref> sometimes encoded with [[Unicode subscripts and superscripts]]
**{{angbr|<sub>a</sub>}}: Subscript small a is used in [[Indo-European studies]]<ref>{{Citation |last1=Anderson |first1=Deborah |title=L2/04-191: Proposal to Encode Six Indo-Europeanist Phonetic Characters in the UCS |date=7 June 2004 |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2004/04191-n2788-laryngeals.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011014402/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2004/04191-n2788-laryngeals.pdf |access-date=2018-03-24 |archive-date=2017-10-11 |last2=Everson |first2=Michael |url-status=live |via=www.unicode.org}}</ref>
**{{angbr|ꬱ}}: Small letter a reversed-schwa is used in the [[Teuthonista]] phonetic transcription system<ref>{{Citation |last1=Everson |first1=Michael |title=L2/11-202: Revised Proposal to Encode "Teuthonista" Phonetic Characters in the UCS |date=2 June 2011 |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2011/11202-n4081-teuthonista.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011012426/http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2011/11202-n4081-teuthonista.pdf |access-date=2018-03-24 |archive-date=2017-10-11 |last2=Dicklberger |first2=Alois |last3=Pentzlin |first3=Karl |last4=Wandl-Vogt |first4=Eveline |url-status=live |via=www.unicode.org}}</ref>
** {{angbr|Ꞻ ꞻ}}: Glottal A, used in the transliteration of [[Ugaritic]]<ref>{{Citation |last=Suignard |first=Michel |title=L2/17-076R2: Revised Proposal for the Encoding of an Egyptological YOD and Ugaritic Characters |date=9 May 2017 |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2017/17076r2-n4792r2-egyptological-yod.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330043926/https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2017/17076r2-n4792r2-egyptological-yod.pdf |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-date=2019-03-30 |url-status=live |via=www.unicode.org}}</ref>

=== Derived signs, symbols and abbreviations ===
* {{angbr|<big>ª</big>}}: [[ordinal indicator]]
* {{angbr|Å}}: [[Ångström]] sign
* {{angbr|∀}}: turned capital letter A, used in [[predicate logic]] to specify [[universal quantification]] ("for all")
* {{angbr|@}}: [[At sign]]
* {{angbr|₳}}: [[Argentine austral]]
* {{angbr|Ⓐ}}: [[Anarchist symbolism#circle-a|anarchy symbol]]

=== Ancestor and sibling letters ===
* {{angbr|{{lang|phn|𐤀}}}}: Phoenician [[aleph]], from which the following symbols originally derive:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jensen |first=Hans |title=Sign, Symbol, and Script |publisher=G. P. Putman's Sons |year=1969 |location=New York}}</ref>
** {{angbr|{{lang|el|Α α}}}}: [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] letter [[alpha]], from which the following letters derive:<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-02-17 |title=Hebrew Lesson of the Week: The Letter Aleph |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/hebrew-lesson-of-the-week-letter-aleph/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526113655/https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/hebrew-lesson-of-the-week-letter-aleph/ |archive-date=2018-05-26 |access-date=2018-05-25 |via=[[The Times of Israel]]}}</ref>
*** {{angbr|{{lang|und|А а}}}}: [[Cyrillic]] letter [[A (Cyrillic)|A]]<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Cyrillic Alphabet |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cyrillic-alphabet |access-date=2018-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526114423/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cyrillic-alphabet |archive-date=2018-05-26 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*** {{angbr|{{Script|Copt|Ⲁ ⲁ}}}}: [[Coptic alphabet|Coptic]] letter alpha<ref>{{Cite book |last=Silvestre |first=M. J. B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n2QWAAAAYAAJ&q=coptic+alphabet&pg=PA123 |title=Universal Palaeography |year=1850 |publisher=Henry G. Bohn |location=London |translator-last=Madden |translator-first=Frederic |access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref>
*** {{angbr|𐌀}}: [[Old Italic script|Old Italic]] A, the ancestor of modern Latin A<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwAoAQAAIAAJ&q=old+italic+greek+alphabet&pg=PA534 |journal=American Journal of Archaeology |year=1891 |page=534 |volume=7 |title=Italic Studies |department=Archaeological News |last=Frothingham |first=A. L. Jr. |issue=4 |jstor=496497 |jstor-access=free |access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lv4sDwAAQBAJ&q=old+italic+script+greek&pg=PA96 |title=Understanding Relations Between Scripts: The Aegean Writing Systems |year=2017 |publisher=Oxbow |isbn=978-1-78570-647-9 |editor-last=Steele |editor-first=Philippa M. |location=Oxford |access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref>
**** {{angbr|{{Script|Runr|ᚨ}}}}: [[Runic]] letter [[ansuz]], which probably derives from old Italic A<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fortson |first=Benjamin W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bSxHgej4tKMC&q=Runic+developed+from+old+italic&pg=PA349 |title=Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction |year=2010 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-4443-5968-8 |edition=2nd |access-date=27 October 2020}}</ref>
*** {{angbr|{{Script|Goth|𐌰}}}}: [[Gothic alphabet|Gothic]] letter aza
* {{angbr|{{lang|am|Ա ա}}}}: [[Armenian alphabet|Armenian]] letter [[Ayb (letter)|ayb]]

== Other representations ==
=== Computing <span class="anchor" id="Computing codes"></span> ===
The Latin letters {{angbr|A}} and {{angbr|a}} have [[Unicode]] [[Code|encodings]] {{unichar|0041|Latin capital letter A}} and {{unichar|0061|Latin small letter a}}. These are the same [[code point]]s as those used in [[ASCII]] and [[ISO 8859]]. There are also [[precomposed character]] encodings for {{angbr|A}} and {{angbr|a}} with diacritics, for most of those listed [[#Related characters in the Latin alphabet|above]]; the remainder are produced using [[combining diacritic]]s.

Variant forms of the letter have unique code points for specialist use: the [[Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols|alphanumeric symbols set]] in mathematics and science, [[Latin alpha]] in linguistics, and [[halfwidth and fullwidth forms]] for legacy [[CJK characters|CJK]] font compatibility. The Cyrillic and Greek [[homoglyph]]s of the Latin {{angbr|A}} have separate encodings {{unichar|0410|Cyrillic capital letter A|nlink=A (Cyrillic)}} and {{unichar|0391|Greek capital letter alpha|nlink=Alpha}}.

=== Other ===
{{Letter other reps
|NATO=Alpha<!--don't change to official "alfa" until Commons images are moved to this spelling, or redirects are set up, as otherwise the table does not display the semaphore and flag images-->
|Morse=·–
|Character=A1
|Braille=⠁
|fingerspelling=A
}}

{{clear}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite web |year=2004 |title=English Letter Frequency |url=https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~mec/2003-2004/cryptography/subs/frequencies.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422040328/https://pi.math.cornell.edu/~mec/2003-2004/cryptography/subs/frequencies.html |archive-date=2014-04-22 |access-date=2014-05-28 |website=Math Explorer's Club |publisher=Cornell University}}
* {{Cite web |year=2006 |title=Percentages of Letter Frequencies per Thousand Words |url=http://starbase.trincoll.edu/~crypto/resources/LetFreq.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125220315/http://starbase.trincoll.edu/~crypto/resources/LetFreq.html |archive-date=2007-01-25 |access-date=2015-05-11 |website=Trinity College |ref={{sfnref|Trinity College|2006}}}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Ciani |first1=Keith D. |last2=Sheldon |first2=Kennon M. |year=2010 |title=A Versus F: The Effects of Implicit Letter Priming on Cognitive Performance |journal=British Journal of Educational Psychology |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=99–119 |doi=10.1348/000709909X466479 |pmid=19622200}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=A |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Americana |publisher=Grolier |location=Danbury, CT |last=Diringer |first=David |year=2000 |editor-last=Bayer |editor-first=Patricia |volume=I |isbn=978-0-717-20133-4}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=A |encyclopedia=Academic American Encyclopedia |publisher=Grolier |location=Danbury, CT |year=1998 |editor-last=Ranson |editor-first=K. Anne |volume=I |isbn=978-0-7172-2068-7 |last2=Whiting |first2=R. M. |last1=Gelb |first1=I. J.}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=A |encyclopedia=Collier's Encyclopedia |publisher=P. F. Collier |location=New York |last=Hall-Quest |first=Olga Wilbourne |year=1997 |editor-last=Johnston |editor-first=Bernard |volume=I}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |year=2010 |title=A |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |location=Chicago |url=https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia2009ency |editor-last=Hoiberg |editor-first=Dale H. |volume=1 |isbn=978-1-59339-837-8 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite journal |last=McCarter |first=P. Kyle |year=1974 |title=The Early Diffusion of the Alphabet |journal=The Biblical Archaeologist |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=54–68 |jstor=3210965 |s2cid=126182369}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |year=1989 |title=A |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordenglishdic01oxfo |editor-last=Simpson |editor-first=J. A. |edition=2nd |volume=I |isbn=978-0-19-861213-1 |editor2-last=Weiner |editor2-first=E. S. C. |url-access=registration}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
{{Wiktionary|A|a}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-A-article.ogg|date=2023-06-26}}
* [http://members.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionaryclassic/chapters/pix/alphabet.gif History of the Alphabet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410005914/http://members.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionaryclassic/chapters/pix/alphabet.gif |date=10 April 2021 }}
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** "[[s:A Dictionary of the English Language/A|A]]" in ''[[s:A Dictionary of the English Language|A Dictionary of the English Language]]'' by [[Samuel Johnson]]
**{{cite EB9 |wstitle=A |volume=I | page=1 |short=1}}
**{{cite AmCyc |wstitle=A |short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{cite EB1911|wstitle=A |volume=I | page=1 |short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{cite NSRW |wstitle=A |short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{cite Collier's|wstitle=A |short=x |noicon=x}}
}}

{{Latin script|A|}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:ISO basic Latin letters]]
[[Category:Vowel letters]]