Letter B

B is the second letter of the alphabet.The letter B is the second letter of the alphabet. It is a consonant and represents a so called 'bilabial' sound - you must use both lips when articulating it. The B is rumored to have its origins in Egyptian hieroglyphs, where its shape was used to represent a floor plan of a building. There are also links to the Ancient Greek letter, beta, which was the second letter of that alphabet.

The letter has developed through languages and times and the lower case b is based on the Roman times, which is when the scribes started to take out the upper loop of the capital B.

The letter B is often a silent one in the English language, especially when an M immediately precedes it. This is usually in the case of words such as bomb and lamb. When a T is used immediately after the letter, the B is also silent. This is seen in words such as debt and doubt. This is very common with many languages that are based on the Latin languages.

This is completely different with other languages. There are many that will change the sound, depending on other letters around it or depending on the representation. This is common in languages like Estonian, Chinese and Zulu.

The letter B is also a musical note but may also be followed by a sharp or flat, to determine whether the note is a semitone higher or lower. The note can be high or low, depending on the area that the letter is written on the stave. The most common ones are when it is sitting on the top line or covering the second line up on the bass line, and when it is written on the third line up on the treble clef.

The letter B is not one of the most common letters used in the English language but it is an important one. However, it can make a game of scrabble difficult when you find yourself with that letter.

With only 2 tiles in the Scrabble game, B is a scarce letter. The B yields 3 points which is not considered high, but if you manage to place a word over a word bonus tile, getting a B in there can bring your score up significantly.