Q

How to type it

Left pinky; hold Shift for the capital. Introduced in Lesson 11: Top row: q and p.

Common uses

• Q is almost always followed by U in English words, and the pair usually sounds like kw.
• Q is among the rarest letters in English text.

Less common uses

• A few words, such as qi, qat, and Iraq, have a Q with no U after it.
• In English chess notation, Q stands for queen.
• Q traces back to the Phoenician letter qoph.