Latin alphabet
noun
: an alphabet that was used for writing Latin and that has been modified for writing many modern languages
Examples of Latin alphabet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The runic alphabet eventually evolved to reflect the transition from the Proto-Norse language to Old Norse in the 8th century, and it was used up until the 14th century, when Christianity — and by proxy, the Latin alphabet — had become widespread across Europe.
—
Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
Some symbols look similar to the modern Latin alphabet used in English, Spanish and several other languages.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 June 2024
Unlike the Latin alphabet of romance languages, Greek letters are indecipherable for English speakers, making the language more difficult to learn than Romance languages such as Spanish, Italian, and French.
—Karen I. Chen, Travel + Leisure, 1 Mar. 2022
Though many Indigenous languages are primarily oral, Portuguese colonizers transcribed them using the Latin alphabet in the 16th century.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2024
Kasem said that in cases where signs featured multiple languages all based on the same alphabet – for instance, both Welsh and English are based on the Latin alphabet – greater care was needed to differentiate them, such as by using different colors or font sizes.
—Chris Lau, CNN, 29 July 2023
New learners, including Chinese children, pick up character pronunciation using Pinyin, which uses the Latin alphabet to spell out sounds of Standard Chinese characters.
—Jamie Dickman, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2023
Part of the reason for the confusion is that Hebrew, unlike English, doesn't use the Latin alphabet, meaning words are often subject to less-than-perfect translations.
—Justin Klawans, The Week, 18 Dec. 2022
Garfinkel said that Canaanites were the first to use letters that represented sounds in their writing system, which subsequently evolved into the Phoenician, Greek and ultimately the Latin alphabet that’s most commonly used today.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 8 Nov. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
Some symbols look similar to the modern Latin alphabet used in English, Spanish and several other languages.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 June 2024
Unlike the Latin alphabet of romance languages, Greek letters are indecipherable for English speakers, making the language more difficult to learn than Romance languages such as Spanish, Italian, and French.
—Karen I. Chen, Travel + Leisure, 1 Mar. 2022
Though many Indigenous languages are primarily oral, Portuguese colonizers transcribed them using the Latin alphabet in the 16th century.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2024
Kasem said that in cases where signs featured multiple languages all based on the same alphabet – for instance, both Welsh and English are based on the Latin alphabet – greater care was needed to differentiate them, such as by using different colors or font sizes.
—Chris Lau, CNN, 29 July 2023
New learners, including Chinese children, pick up character pronunciation using Pinyin, which uses the Latin alphabet to spell out sounds of Standard Chinese characters.
—Jamie Dickman, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2023
Part of the reason for the confusion is that Hebrew, unlike English, doesn't use the Latin alphabet, meaning words are often subject to less-than-perfect translations.
—Justin Klawans, The Week, 18 Dec. 2022
Garfinkel said that Canaanites were the first to use letters that represented sounds in their writing system, which subsequently evolved into the Phoenician, Greek and ultimately the Latin alphabet that’s most commonly used today.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 8 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Latin alphabet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Latin%20alphabet. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share