One-letter English word
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Aside from the self-reference discussed below, the English language has three one-letter words:
a – the indefinite article
I – the first person singular nominative pronoun
O – an interjection derived from the vocative case of Latin, commonly used in poetry
Both I and O are capitalized when used.
The word E is the shortest English neologism and is a Spivak pronoun meaning he or she. It, along with X, is also a common abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy.
e is a mathematical and scientific constant, referring to the base of the natural logarithm. Many other such constants also have single-letter symbols, such as c.
In gangsta rap culture, G is a valid word, a contraction of “gangster”, used as a term of respect.
There are also various single letter words used as abbreviations in text-speak and related uses:
b – “be” or “bee”
c – “sea” or “see”
f – “fat”
g – “Gee”
I – “eye”
j – “jay”
k – “okay”
n – “and”
o – “oh”
p – “pea” (small green vegetable) or “pee” (to urinate)
q – “cue” or “queue”
r – “are”
t – “tea”
u – “you”
v – “very”, for example: V Graham Norton
x – part of the phrase “x out”
y – “why”
Various digits have also been pressed into service in this manner:
1 – “won”
2 – “to”, “too”. Can also be used as part of a word. E.g. 2moro (tomorrow).
4 – “for” – Can also be used as part of a word. The complete list: a4d, 4cast, 4m, 4mer, 4milk, 4most, 4t, 4ty
6 – Can be used as part of “sixty” (6ty)
7 – Can be used as part of “seventy” (7ty)
8 – “ate” – Can also be used as part of a word. The completete list: abdic8, adumbr8, adjucdic8, ag8, anim8, b8, b8d calibr8, celeb8, celebr8, complic8, cr8, d8, defic8, dumbw8r, equ8, f8, g8, gr8, h8, infl8, infl8able, ir8, irrig8, l8, l8r, mastic8, m8, navig8, obl8, pal8, pal8al, pl8, r8, r8d, r8ing, s8, sk8, sk8r, st8, str8, t8r, urin8, veget8, w8, 8y
9 – “night”, a shortened form of “good night”