Free Letter Counter
Count specific letters and analyze alphabet frequency in your text.
Last Updated: 15 Jan 2026
What is a Letter Counter?
A letter counter is a text analysis tool that counts the frequency of each letter (A-Z) in a piece of text and displays the distribution. It helps you understand letter frequency patterns, analyze text composition, and identify which letters appear most or least frequently in your content.
Letter frequency analysis is useful for linguistics research, cryptography, writing analysis, and understanding text patterns. In English, certain letters appear more frequently than others—for example, 'E' is the most common letter, appearing about 12% of the time, while 'Z' is one of the least common.
Why Use Our Free Letter Counter?
Letter Frequency Analysis
Analyze which letters appear most and least frequently in your text. Understand letter distribution patterns and text composition.
Writing Analysis
Compare letter frequency in your writing to standard English patterns. Identify unusual letter usage or patterns in your content.
Instant Results
Get letter frequency counts instantly as you type or paste text. See complete alphabet distribution with percentages and counts.
Common Use Cases for Letter Counter
Linguistics & Research
Text Analysis
Analyze letter frequency in different languages, writing styles, or text types. Compare frequency patterns across different content.
Cryptography
Use letter frequency analysis for cryptanalysis and code-breaking. Letter frequency patterns help identify substitution ciphers.
Language Learning
Understand letter frequency in different languages. Compare English letter patterns with other languages for language learning.
Writing & Content
Writing Style Analysis
Analyze your writing style by examining letter frequency. Compare your patterns to standard English or other authors' styles.
Content Optimization
Check letter distribution in content to ensure natural language patterns. Identify if content uses unusual letter combinations.
Educational Purposes
Teach letter frequency concepts to students. Demonstrate how different letters appear with varying frequency in English text.
English Letter Frequency Patterns
Most Common Letters in English
In English text, letter frequency follows predictable patterns. The most common letters are E, T, A, O, I, N, S, H, R, D, L, and U, which together account for about 80% of all letters used.
Least Common Letters
The least common letters in English are Q, Z, J, X, and K, each appearing less than 1% of the time. These letters are used sparingly in English words.
Vowel vs Consonant Distribution
Vowels (A, E, I, O, U) typically account for about 40% of letters in English text, while consonants make up the remaining 60%. This distribution varies by text type and style.
Text Type Variations
Letter frequency can vary by text type. Technical writing may use more specific letters, while creative writing follows more standard patterns. Poetry might show different distributions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is letter frequency analysis?
Letter frequency analysis counts how often each letter appears in text. In English, 'E' is the most common letter, appearing about 12% of the time, while 'Z' is one of the least common, appearing less than 1% of the time.
Why is letter frequency important?
Letter frequency is important for linguistics research, cryptography, writing analysis, and understanding text patterns. It helps identify language characteristics and can be used in code-breaking and text analysis.
Does letter frequency vary by language?
Yes, letter frequency varies significantly by language. For example, in Spanish, 'E' is also common, but the distribution differs. Different languages have different letter frequency patterns based on their vocabulary and grammar.
Can I use this for cryptography?
Yes, letter frequency analysis is fundamental to cryptanalysis. By comparing encrypted text frequency to standard English patterns, cryptanalysts can identify substitution ciphers and break codes.
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