Are All 26 Letters of the English Alphabet Represented in the Names of U.S. States?

It's often wondered whether every letter of the English alphabet can be found in the names of the 50 U.S. states. Let's delve into this intriguing question and explore the distribution of each letter across the names of the states.

Alphabet in State Names

Indeed, all 26 letters can be found in the names of the 50 U.S. states. Each letter appears at least once across the state names. Here's a detailed breakdown:

A

A couple of states include the letter A: Alabama, Alaska, and Arizona. Examples include:

Alabama Alaska Arizona

B

The letter B can be found in Alabama and Nebraska:

Alabama Nebraska

C

Several states feature the letter C: California and Colorado:

California Colorado

D

States like Maryland and North Dakota contain D:

Maryland North Dakota

E

Tennessee and Delaware have the letter E:

Tennessee Delaware

F

The letter F appears in Florida:

Florida

G

Georgia makes use of the letter G:

Georgia

H

Hawaii stands out with the letter H:

Hawaii

I

Illinois and Indiana have the letter I:

Illinois Indiana

J

A notable state with J is New Jersey:

New Jersey

K

Kentucky also features K:

Kentucky

L

The letter L is in the names of California and Colorado:

California Colorado

M

Several states contain the letter M: Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan:

Maryland Massachusetts Michigan

N

Nevada and North Carolina include N:

Nevada North Carolina

O

The letter O appears in the names of Colorado and Ohio:

Colorado Ohio

P

There is also a state named after the letter P: Mississippi:

Mississippi

Q

The letter Q is notably absent from any U.S. state:

No state name contains the letter Q.

R

A few states have R: Maryland, North Carolina, and Oregon:

Maryland North Carolina Oregon

S

The letter S is found in the names of Arkansas, Kansas, and Illinois:

Arkansas Kansas Illinois

T

Tennessee and Vermont contain T:

Tennessee Vermont

U

Utah has the letter U:

Utah

V

Both Vermont and Virginia have V:

Vermont Virginia

W

Washington and Wisconsin have W:

Washington Wisconsin

X

Texas holds the letter X:

Texas

Y

Y is in Kentucky and Wyoming:

Kentucky Wyoming

Z

The letter Z can be found in Arizona:

Arizona

In summary, every letter of the English alphabet can be found in the names of the 50 U.S. states. However, it's important to note that the letter Q is notably missing from any state name. This article has covered the distribution of each letter and provided examples to illustrate the point.

Conclusion

While it is true that all 26 letters of the English alphabet can be found in the names of U.S. states, one letter—Q—is notably absent. This makes for an interesting linguistic and geographic fact worth exploring further.