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Letter vs Character - What's the difference?

letter | character |

As nouns the difference between letter and character

is that letter is a symbol in an alphabet while character is a being involved in the action of a story.

As verbs the difference between letter and character

is that letter is to print, inscribe, or paint letters on something while character is to write (using characters); To describe.

letter

English

(wikipedia letter)

Etymology 1

(etyl) letter, lettre, from (etyl) letre, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A symbol in an alphabet.
  • * Bible, (w) xxiii. 38
  • And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew.
  • A written or printed communication, generally longer and more formal than a note.
  • * (1662-1708)
  • The style of letters ought to be free, easy, and natural.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
  • , chapter=1 citation , passage=He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.}}
  • *
  • *:An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.
  • Literal meaning.
  • * (Jeremy Taylor) (1613–1677)
  • We must observe the letter of the law, without doing violence to the reason of the law and the intention of the lawgiver.
  • * (1809-1892)
  • I broke the letter of it to keep the sense.
  • * 2009 , 23 February, BBC, Euro MP expenses 'can reach £1m'
  • Some MEPs from some countries may have pocketed £2m more than I have by observing the letter but not the spirit of the rules.
  • (plural) Literature.
  • A size of paper, 8½ in]] × 11 in (215.9 [[millimetre, mm × 279.4 mm, US paper sizes rounded to the nearest 5 mm).
  • A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.
  • A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.
  • * (John Evelyn) (1620-1706)
  • Under these buildingswas the king's printing house, and that famous letter so much esteemed.
    Synonyms
    * bookstave
    Hyponyms
    * epistle * missive
    Derived terms
    * accountant's letter * advisory letter * air letter * black letter * capital letter * chain letter * comfort letter * commercial letter of credit * cover letter * covering letter * crank letter * day letter * dead letter office * Dear John letter * deficiency letter * domincal letter * drop letter * encyclical letter * fan letter * form letter * four-letter/four-letter word * French letter * guarantee letter * investment letter * irrevocable letter of credit * letter blindness * letter bomb * letter bond * letter box * letter carrier * letter case * letter missive * letter of administration * letter of attorney * letter of comfort * letter of comment * letter of credence * letter of credit * letter of guarantee * letter of indemnity * letter of intent * Letter of Jeremiah * letter of marque * letter of motivation * letter of the law * letter opener * letter paper * letter perfect/letter-perfect * letter-quality * letter security * letter stock * letter telegram * letterform * letterhead * letterman * letterure * love letter * market letter * news letter/news-letter/newsletter * night letter * no-action letter * open letter * night letter * poison-pen letter * red letter * scarlet letter * sea letter * small letter * swash letter * to the letter * transmittal letter * varsity letter

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • to print, inscribe, or paint letters on something.
  • (intransitive, US, scholastic) To earn a varsity letter (award).
  • Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who lets, or lets out.
  • the letter of a room
    a blood-letter
  • (archaic) One who retards or hinders.
  • Statistics

    *

    character

    English

    Noun

  • A being involved in the action of a story.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 26, author=Tasha Robinson, work=The Onion AV Club
  • , title= Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits , passage=But Pirates! comes with all the usual Aardman strengths intact, particularly the sense that its characters and creators alike are too good-hearted and sweet to nitpick. The ambition is all in the craft rather than in the storytelling, but it’s hard to say no to the proficiency of that craft, or the mild good cheer behind it. }}
  • A distinguishing feature; characteristic.
  • A complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group.
  • * Motley
  • a man of thoroughly subservient character
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=3 , passage=Now all this was very fine, but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.}}
  • Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; moral strength.
  • He has a great deal of character .
  • A unique or extraordinary individual; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits, especially charisma.
  • Julius Caesar is a great historical character .
  • A written or printed symbol, or letter.
  • * Holder
  • It were much to be wished that there were throughout the world but one sort of character for each letter to express it to the eye.
  • Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the particular form of letters used by a person or people.
  • an inscription in the Runic character
  • * Shakespeare
  • You know the character to be your brother's?
  • (computing) One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.
  • (informal) A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions.
  • (mathematics) A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.
  • Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty.
  • in the miserable character of a slave
    in his character as a magistrate
  • (dated) The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation.
  • a man's character for truth and veracity
    Her actions give her a bad character .
  • * Addison
  • This subterraneous passage is much mended since Seneca gave so bad a character of it.
  • (dated) A reference given to a servant, attesting to his/her behaviour, competence, etc.
  • Usage notes

    A comparison of character'' and ''reputation'': It would be well if ''character'' and ''reputation were used distinctively. In truth, character is what a person is; reputation is what he is supposed to be. Character is in himself, reputation is in the minds of others. Character is injured by temptations, and by wrongdoing; reputation by slanders, and libels. Character endures throughout defamation in every form, but perishes when there is a voluntary transgression; reputation may last through numerous transgressions, but be destroyed by a single, and even an unfounded, accusation or aspersion.

    Derived terms

    * cartoon character * character actor * character assassination * character class * character encoding * characterise / characterize * characterisation / characterization * characteristic * characterless * character recognition * character set * character theory * Chinese character * control character * dominant character * escape character * fictional character * in character * null character * out of character * player character * round character * staple character * stock character * whitespace character (character)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To write (using characters); To describe
  • See also

    * codepoint * font * glyph * letter * symbol * rune * pictogram

    Statistics

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