Character vs. Letter — What's the Difference?

Encoding systems.

Alphabet component.

Broad definition.

Literacy tool.

Digital representation.

Case variations.

In computing.

Linguistic role.

Versatility.

Phonetic significance.

The combination of mental characteristics and behavior that distinguishes a person or group.

A character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet

The distinguishing nature of something.

A written, typed, or printed communication, sent in an envelope by post or messenger

Moral strength; integrity

The precise terms of a statement or requirement; the strict verbal interpretation

Public estimation of someone; reputation

Literature

(Biology) A structure, function, or attribute of an organism, influenced by genetic, environmental, and developmental factors.

A style of typeface.

A person considered as having a specific quality or attribute

Inscribe letters or writing on

A person considered funny or eccentric

Be given a school or college initial as a mark of proficiency in sport

A person portrayed in an artistic piece, such as a drama or novel.

A written symbol or character representing a speech sound and being a component of an alphabet.

A person or animal portrayed with a personality in comics or animation

A written symbol or character used in the graphemic representation of a word, such as the h in Thames. See Note at Thames.

Characterization in fiction or drama

A written or printed communication directed to a person or organization.

Status or role; capacity

Often letters A certified document granting rights to its bearer.

A description of a person's attributes, traits, or abilities.

Literal meaning

A formal written statement as to competency and dependability, given by an employer to a former employee; a recommendation.

Literary culture; belles-lettres.

A mark or symbol used in a writing system.

Learning or knowledge, especially of literature.

A Chinese character.

Literature or writing as a profession.

One of a set of symbols, such as letters or numbers, that are arranged to express information.

A piece of type that prints a single character.

The numerical code representing such a character.

A specific style of type.

(Mathematics) The trace function of a representation.

The characters in one style of type.

A style of printing or writing

An emblem in the shape of the initial of a school awarded for outstanding performance, especially in varsity athletics.

A cipher or code for secret writing.

To write letters on

Of or relating to one's character.

To write in letters

Specializing in the interpretation of often minor roles that emphasize fixed personality traits or specific physical characteristics

To write or form letters.

Of or relating to the interpretation of such roles by an actor

To earn a school letter, as for outstanding athletic achievement

Dedicated to the portrayal of a person with regard to distinguishing psychological or physical features

A symbol in an alphabet.

To write, print, engrave, or inscribe.

A written or printed communication, generally longer and more formal than a note.

To portray or describe; characterize.

The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning (the spirit).

(countable) A being involved in the action of a story.

Literature.

(countable) A distinguishing feature; characteristic; trait; phene.

(law) A division unit of a piece of law marked by a letter of the alphabet.

A complex of traits marking a person, group, breed, or type.

A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm, US paper sizes rounded to the nearest 5 mm).

(uncountable) Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; moral strength.

A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.

(countable) A unique or extraordinary individual; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits, especially charisma.

Clipping of varsity letter

(countable) A written or printed symbol, or letter.

A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.

Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the particular form of letters used by a person or people.

One who lets, or lets out.

A secret cipher; a way of writing in code.

(archaic) One who retards or hinders.

One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.

(transitive) To print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.

A person or individual, especially one who is unknown.

To earn a varsity letter (award).

A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.

One who lets or permits; one who lets anything for hire.

(countable) Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty.

One who retards or hinders.

The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation.

A mark or character used as the representative of a sound, or of an articulation of the human organs of speech; a first element of written language.

A reference given to a servant, attesting to their behaviour, competence, etc.

A written or printed communication; a message expressed in intelligible characters on something adapted to conveyance, as paper, parchment, etc.; an epistle.

Personal appearance.

A writing; an inscription.

(obsolete) To write (using characters); to describe.

Verbal expression; literal statement or meaning; exact signification or requirement.

A distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol.

A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.

Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the peculiar form of letters used by a particular person or people; as, an inscription in the Runic character.

Learning; erudition; as, a man of letters.

The peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others; the stamp impressed by nature, education, or habit; that which a person or thing really is; nature; disposition.

A letter; an epistle.

Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; as, he has a great deal of character.

A telegram longer than an ordinary message sent at rates lower than the standard message rate in consideration of its being sent and delivered subject to priority in service of regular messages. Such telegrams are called by the Western Union Company day letters, or night letters according to the time of sending, and by The Postal Telegraph Company day lettergrams, or night lettergrams.

Moral quality; the principles and motives that control the life; as, a man of character; his character saves him from suspicion.

To impress with letters; to mark with letters or words; as, a book gilt and lettered.

Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty; as, in the miserable character of a slave; in his character as a magistrate; her character as a daughter.

A written message addressed to a person or organization;

The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation; as, a man's character for truth and veracity; to give one a bad character.

The conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech;

A written statement as to behavior, competency, etc., given to a servant.

A strictly literal interpretation (as distinct from the intention);

A unique or extraordinary individuality; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits; a person who illustrates certain phases of character; as, Randolph was a character; Cæsar is a great historical character.

An award earned by participation in a school sport;

One of the persons of a drama or novel.

Owner who lets another person use something (housing usually) for hire

To engrave; to inscribe.

Win an athletic letter

To distinguish by particular marks or traits; to describe; to characterize.

Set down or print with letters

An imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story);

Mark letters on or mark with letters

A characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something;

The inherent complex of attributes that determine a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions;

An actor's portrayal of someone in a play;

A person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities);

Good repute;

A formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability;

A written symbol that is used to represent speech;

Engrave or inscribe characters on

A character in writing can be any symbol used to represent information, including letters, punctuation, and numbers.

Yes, in digital and written contexts, numbers are considered characters alongside letters and symbols.

The number of characters can vary widely depending on the context, including all letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and other symbols used in writing and digital encoding.

Characters in digital encoding, such as ASCII or Unicode, represent all possible symbols used in digital communication, allowing for the representation and manipulation of text in computers and online.

In alphabetic languages, letters represent specific sounds, but the representation of sounds can vary significantly across different writing systems.

A control character in computing is a non-printable character that controls or facilitates the processing of text in devices and networks.

Letters are essential for constructing words and sentences, serving as the basic units of written language and verbal communication.

In programming, a letter refers specifically to alphabet components, while a character can include any typeable symbol, including letters, numbers, and special characters.

Yes, punctuation marks are considered characters as they play a role in denoting the structure and organization of written language.

Characters in passwords include a mix of letters, numbers, and special symbols to enhance security by creating complex combinations.

In typography, letters are crucial for design considerations, including readability, font style, and the aesthetic appeal of written text.

Not all languages use letters in the same way as alphabetic languages; for example, Chinese uses logograms, which represent words or morphemes.

A letter is a fundamental element of an alphabet used to represent sounds and construct words, while a symbol can represent concepts, sounds, or serve as punctuation.

Case variations, such as uppercase and lowercase, can influence the meaning of words and sentences, as well as adhere to grammatical rules.

Characters are encoded using standards like ASCII or Unicode, assigning a unique code to each character for consistent representation across different systems and platforms.