Letter Frequency in English Words
Letter frequency refers to how often each alphabet letter appears in words or texts. From a lexicographic perspective, this can be measured across the entire dictionary (counting each word once) versus in real-world usage (where common words appear repeatedly). The distributions differ: for example, E is the most common letter in English, forming about 12% of all letters in typical texts. In a dictionary word list (each word counted once), E still ranks first (around 11% of all letters), but other letters shift in prominence. Common function words (like “the”) inflate letters T, H, E in running text, whereas in a dictionary S, I, and A become relatively more frequent because many distinct words contain these letters. On the other end, rare letters like J, Q, X, Z each account for well under 1% of letters. This means very few English words include them – which is exactly why in Scrabble these letters have the highest point values (e.g. Q and Z are 10 points).
Lexicographers also consider initial-letter frequency (which letters begin words). Notably, S starts the largest number of English words – about 11% of all headwords in one analysis – making “S” section the bulkiest in many dictionaries. Other common starting letters are C, P, A, M, and B (each starting large portions of the vocabulary), while X, Q, or Z start extremely few words (far below 1%). Such imbalances have practical implications: for instance, librarians and lexicographers often group low-frequency letters together (one file drawer for “X–Z”) and split high-frequency letters into sub-sections for manageability. In short, English letter frequency – whether in general text or as entries in a lexicon – has a skewed distribution: some letters are omnipresent in words, while others are true rarities.
Using Letter Frequency to Find Rare (Available) Brand Names
Understanding these frequency patterns can be very useful in naming. If a letter or letter-combination is rare in English words, then a name using it is more likely to be unique (and not already a common word or trademark). For example, brand names often exploit high-Scrabble-value letters like Z, X, Q, J, or K to stand out. A naming guide notes that brands starting with “Z” or other rare letters tend to be more memorable because so few words start with them. Think of Xerox (coined with an unusual X-) or Zynga – these names grab attention and had little competition in dictionaries or domain name registries due to their uncommon letters. Even just swapping a common first letter for a rarer one can yield a distinct name: for instance, the online shoe retailer Zappos gained uniqueness by using Z (echoing “shoes” via Spanish zapatos). The same principle is why we see tech startups with names like Quora, Xfinity, or Lyft – they insert uncommon letters or spellings to find available trademarks and URLs while differentiating the brand. In essence, letter frequency analysis can guide you toward letter choices that make a name feel novel. A name composed of extremely common letters in English might accidentally form an ordinary word or blend in with existing names, whereas one including a strategically rare letter has a better chance of being one-of-a-kind (and available).
However, a caution: rare for the sake of rare can backfire if the result looks too strange. It’s usually best to balance uniqueness with familiarity – which leads to the next point.
Why Coined Names Should Resemble Real Words
When inventing a name, conforming to English word patterns (what one might call “dictionary standards”) is wise even if the name is not literally in the dictionary. People find names easier to remember and more appealing when they look or sound like real words. Psycholinguistic research supports this: one study found that consumers said they were more likely to buy a product if its brand name was made of common sound sequences rather than rare, “weird” letter combinations. In other words, a coined name that feels familiar can subconsciously inspire trust or positive regard, whereas an awkward, unpronounceable string might alienate or confuse.
Pronounceability and spelling are key. Many English phonetic patterns involve alternating consonants and vowels (or familiar clusters), so a made-up name should follow suit. For example, Google, Kodak, and Nikon are all coined or adapted names, but they are easy to pronounce and remember because they conform to typical English phonology (consonant-vowel patterns, no impossible letter sequences). By contrast, a name like “Qxzvy” would be almost unpronounceable to an English speaker at first glance – it violates expectations (Q is rarely without U, “xzv” is not a normal cluster). Indeed, naming experts often advise avoiding bizarre consonant clusters and ensuring the name includes vowel sounds for clarity. A real-world lesson was Flickr: this photo-sharing site deliberately dropped the “e” from “flicker” to get a unique name, but the odd spelling caused many users to misspell it. (Eventually, the company had to acquire Flicker.com because so many people instinctively added the vowel.) The takeaway is that a coined name should follow English spelling conventions just enough that people can parse and pronounce it. Even fantasy name generators acknowledge this – for instance, the Wordoid tool lets users generate invented words with a setting for “natural” vs “fantasy” quality. The **“natural” setting produces made-up names that sound like real words in English by obeying common letter patterns. This shows how vital familiar structure is: we want a new name to be unique, yet recognizable as name-like.
Conclusion
In summary, letter frequency analysis provides valuable insights both for lexicographers and for brand naming. From the lexicographer’s angle, it highlights the architecture of English – e.g. which letters dominate our vocabulary and which barely occur – informing everything from dictionary compilation to word-game design. From a branding angle, these frequencies help identify unused or rare letter combinations that can make a new name distinctive and likely untaken. Yet successful coined names don’t just pick rare letters randomly; they also respect the phonetic and orthographic habits of English so that the invented word feels comfortable to the audience. By blending the statistical reality of letters (frequency data) with linguistic intuition (what “looks right” to English readers), one can devise company or product names that are both unique and appealing – names that pass the dictionary test for sound and structure even as they break new ground.
Sources: Letter frequency data from cryptographic and linguistic analyses; comparisons of letter distribution in usage vs. dictionaries; lexicographic notes on dictionary letter sections; branding advice and examples regarding rare letters and pronounceability; and naming tools leveraging English patterns.
