Did You Know? The Ampersand (&) Used to Be Part of the Alphabet!

Hey there, ever wonder about those little symbols we use every day without a second thought? You know, like the exclamation point or the hashtag? Well, there’s one that has a particularly quirky and surprising past that might just make you look at it a little differently next time you type it out.

Ready for it?

Did you know that the humble ampersand, that curvy little ‘&’ symbol that just means “and,” was once considered the 27th letter of the English alphabet? Yep, it’s true! Back in the 19th century and even earlier, when children were learning their ABCs, they’d often chant through ‘A, B, C… X, Y, Z, and then…’ they’d say ‘ampersand!’ It wasn’t just a symbol to them; it was actually part of the sequence.

The story behind its name is even cooler. The word ‘ampersand’ is actually a slurring of an old phrase: ‘and per se and.’ Let me break that down for you. ‘Per se’ is Latin for ‘by itself’ or ‘as such.’ So, when kids were reciting the alphabet, they’d get to the ‘&’ symbol at the very end and say, ‘and (the symbol) per se and.’ This meant, ‘and, by itself, (it means) and.’ They were clarifying that this symbol alone represented the word ‘and.’ Over time, saying ‘and per se and’ quickly, again and again, just kind of morphed and mumbled into the single word ‘ampersand.’ How wild is that?

It’s a fantastic little linguistic fossil, isn’t it? It shows how our language evolves, how things are taught, and how even a seemingly simple symbol can carry such a rich, historical tale. So next time you see that ‘&’, give a little nod to its past life as an alphabet star!