G’s that look like I’s, F’s that sound like “Waw,” and Q’s that look like monkeys — man, was our alphabet a mess. That’s because many of our letters began as Egyptian hieroglyph symbols 4,000 years ...

The number has not been consistent throughout its existence. Russians use an alphabet based on the Cyrillic script. The modern Russian alphabet has 33 letters: 21 consonants, ten vowels and two signs.

Believe it or not, the capital A hasn’t always looked the way it does now. Ancient Egyptians wrote the letter upside down, creating a symbol that resembled a steer with horns. Learn the surprising ...