How are the English letter names written in Arabic?

The common forms are: إيه، بي، سي، دي، إي، إف، جي، إتش، آي، جيه، كيه، إل، إم، إن، أو، پي، كيو، آر، إس، تي، يو، ڤي، دبليو، إكس، واي، زِد.

Is Z said “zed” or “zee”?

Both are correct: “zed” in British English and “zee” in American English. The Kitabcom book uses “zed”.

Why isn’t writing the letters in Arabic enough?

Because some English sounds don’t exist in Arabic, like p, v and g. Writing them in Arabic is a helpful approximation for parents; children learn the correct pronunciation by hearing the real sound.

The English Alphabet in Arabic Letters: How to Say A to Z, with Audio

Suitable age: For parents, and children aged 4 to 7
Suggested time: 5 minutes a day with the alphabet song

In this article:

each English letter’s name written in Arabic letters, with audio.
each letter’s sound in words.
the difference between a letter’s name and its sound, and when to use each.
the letter names people most often get wrong.

The Full English Alphabet in Arabic Letters

The table lists all 26 letters in order, each letter’s name in Arabic letters, its English name, and its sound in words. Tap the speaker to hear the name, and the last button to hear the sound.

Letter	Name in Arabic letters	Name
Aa	إيه	ay
Bb	بي	bee
Cc	سي	see
Dd	دي	dee
Ee	إي	ee
Ff	إف	ef
Gg	جي	jee
Hh	إتش	aitch
Ii	آي	eye
Jj	جيه	jay
Kk	كيه	kay
Ll	إل	el
Mm	إم	em
Nn	إن	en
Oo	أو	oh
Pp	پي	pee
Qq	كيو	cue
Rr	آر	ar
Ss	إس	ess
Tt	تي	tee
Uu	يو	you
Vv	ڤي	vee
Ww	دَبليو	double-you
Xx	إكس	ex
Yy	واي	why
Zz	زِد	zed / zee

What’s the Difference Between a Letter’s Name and Its Sound?

	The letter’s name	The letter’s sound
What is it?	What we say when we mention the letter on its own.	What we hear when we read a word.
Example	B is called “bee”.	Its sound is “b”, as at the start of ball.
When do we use it?	In the alphabet song, and when spelling a word.	When reading and writing words.

For more on sounds: What Is Phonics?

Letter Names That Need Attention

Letter	Name	Note
G / J	jee / jay	The two names are close, so children need to hear them several times.
H	aitch	Its name is “aitch”, even though its sound in words is a light “h”.
W	double-you	The longest letter name; break it up for your child: “dub-ul-you”.
Y	why	Its name is “why”, and at the start of a word it sounds like “y”, as in yellow.
Z	zed or zee	“zed” in British English, “zee” in American English.
P / V	pee / vee	Written in Arabic with پ and ڤ, because their sounds don’t exist in standard Arabic.

Steps for Learning the Letter Names

Listen: your child listens to the alphabet song while pointing to the letters in the table.
Groups: learn the names in small groups, four or five letters at a time.
Find it: you say a letter’s name, and your child finds it in the table or a book and points to it.
Spelling: your child spells their own name in English with the letter names, like “ess – ay – ar – ay” for Sara.

For each letter’s uppercase and lowercase forms: Uppercase and Lowercase Letters. And for the order and number of each letter: The English Alphabet in Order.

🏠 Try It at Home Today

Sing the alphabet song once, then pick 4 letters, listen to their names and write how they sound in Arabic next to them.

🏫 For Teachers in Class

Write the letter’s name in Arabic under it in the first week only, then remove it gradually.

Summary

Every letter has a name, used for spelling and singing, and a sound, used for reading.
Writing letter names in Arabic helps Arabic-speaking parents, but it’s only approximate.
G and J, H, W and Z need attention when saying them.
The alphabet song is the easiest way to learn the names in order.