D is number four in the basic english alphabet. D began its life as the semitic letter called 'Dâlet'. Researchers believe a logogram symbolizing a door, or perhaps a fish gave rise to this letter. In the greek alphabet, the D is known as 'Delta'.
The letter D has hardly gone through any changes since it started. It can be written in very few ways – both lower and upper case – and it is used in a lot of words. The letter is commonly used as a way to make a word turn into the past tense, and commonly used after the letter E. It makes it one of the most common letters in the English language.
A capital letter D is commonly used to donate Germany – since the German for it is Deutschland. This is seen on many items, including car number plates and on the stone for the boundary between Germany and Austrian.
In the Vietnamese language, the D is commonly used in place of the letter Z and in the southern area it may have a J sound to it. Like all letters, this is one that changes depending on countries and can sometimes have a T sound, especially in languages such as Gaelic, Mandarin and Icelandic.
The letter D is commonly used in the emoticon :D, which represents a big smiley face. This is commonly seen in instant messaging, forums, emails and even text messages. It is also a letter that is used as a note in music. The D note comes between C and E and also has the sharp or flat variation, depending on whether you are supposed to play a semitone higher or lower.
The letter D is also used as a grade in school. This is usually used to note that work is below average. Many students who are getting Ds in school will not be able to play sports or join in with other extra-curricular activities. This is aimed at getting them more interested in their studies and to give them the incentive to try harder. The D can have a + or – afterwards to note whether it is slightly higher or lower but not worth the next grade up or down, respectively.
You have a decent chance of coming across at least one D every time you play Scrabble, as there are four Ds in the game. They will each give you two points. There are many short words beginning with D in English, so it can be a great help to have a D on hand if there are no good openings for you to place a longer word. It is also possible to turn many words into the past tense, whether you have the E or not.