Danny Bate: Stories behind the English letters we use every day

Danny Bate joins us to talk about the history of the English alphabet, letter by letter. From the ancient Egyptian origins of A to the comeback of K, Danny talks about how writing systems travelled across civilisations and shaped modern English. We discuss silent letters, spelling quirks, phonics, Scrabble and standup comedy. Drawing on his work as a linguist, Bate explains how sound, history, and habit come together in the way we read and write today. His latest book "Why Q Needs U" was shortlisted among the best books of 2025 by The Economist and is a brilliant read.

You can listen to Danny Bate: Stories behind the English letters we use every day online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Danny Bate: Stories behind the English letters we use every day is an episode from Indicast Podcast Network - Mother Feed by Indicast Podcast Network.

This episode is 51:55 long.

This episode was published on Jan 24, 2026.

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