B (letter)

For other uses, see B (disambiguation).

B is the second letter of the English alphabet, as it is in the Latin alphabet, where it originally appeared. In English its name is pronounced like bee and be.

Use in English

B is usually a voiced bilabial stop, the unvoiced equivalent of P. Examples (the accents show pronunciation: see English phonemes): bíg, bág, bát, bún, beaûty, bôth, Albânia, câble, tâble, Bâbel, Róbert, bòunce, ábstract, hërb, distürb, abhŏr, sâbre, câber, bít, túb, bábble.

It is doubled after short vowels: ébb, fíbber, rábble, góbble, rúbble, clúbber, Débbie, clúbbed, drúbbing - but not when they are written as a double vowel: doúble, troúble.

It begins consonant clusters: bréad, ábdicate, abhŏr, abjûre, óblong, ábnegate, breâk, absürd, abscónd, abstâin, ábstract.

B is silent in two positions: final, after M: lámb, cômb, thúmb, límb, clîmb, dúmb, thúmb and tomb (which rhymes with doôm) and occasionally before T: dòubt, súbtle, débt.

See also

• Letter (alphabet)
• Alphabet
• Writing system
• Orthography
• Written language
• Writing