N

N, 14th letter in the English alphabet, derived from the Latin, which in turn was based on a Greek letter. It was called nu by the Greeks, from its Semitic and Phoenician name, nun, signifying “fish,” which was based on an Egyptian hieroglyph representing a waterline.

The sound of the letter is produced through the nose by vibrating the vocal cords while the oral passage is closed off by the tongue. Some other languages, for example, French, have a dental n, produced by placing the tongue against the back of the upper teeth. It is silent after m in words such as solemn and hymn.