b

See also: B and Appendix:Variations of "b"

Languages (55)

Translingual • English

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Afar • Azerbaijani • Basque • Catalan • Central Mazahua • Chipewyan • Dutch • Esperanto • Estonian • Faroese • Finnish • French • Fula • Gothic • Heiltsuk • Hungarian • Icelandic • Ido • Indonesian • Irish • Italian • Kankanaey • Kashubian • Latin • Latvian • Livonian • Lushootseed • Malay • Maltese • North Frisian • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Nupe • Polish • Portuguese • Romani • Romanian • Scottish Gaelic • Serbo-Croatian • Silesian • Skolt Sami • Slovene • Slovincian • Spanish • Swedish • Tagalog • Turkish • Turkmen • Vietnamese • Welsh • Yele • Yoruba • Zulu

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Page categories

b U+0062, b LATIN SMALL LETTER B ← a [U+0061] Basic Latin c → [U+0063]

Character variations

ᵇ U+1D47, ᵇ MODIFIER LETTER SMALL B ← ᵆ [U+1D46] Phonetic Extensions ᵈ → [U+1D48]

ｂ U+FF42, ｂ FULLWIDTH LATIN SMALL LETTER B ← ａ [U+FF41] Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms ｃ → [U+FF43]

Translingual

Etymology

Modification of capital letter B by dropping its upper loop, from the Greek letter Β (“Beta”).

Pronunciation

• Pronunciation of IPA [bɑː, ɑbbɑː] with the sound [b]:

  (file)

  A voiced bilabial stop is made with the lips alone, by a complete closure cutting off all exit of breath from the mouth, but with accompanying sonant vibrations of the vocal chords, the current of air necessary to produce this being driven from the lungs into the closed cavity of the mouth. The corresponding voiceless stop is p.

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. The second letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

Symbol

b

1. (IPA) a voiced bilabial plosive.
2. (superscript ⟨ᵇ⟩, IPA) [b]-onset (prestopping / preocclusion / preplosion), [b]-release (e.g. ⟨ɡᵇ⟩ for [ɡ͡b]), [b]-coloring, or a weak, fleeting or epenthetic [b].
3. (physics) A bottom quark.
4. (music) Alternative form of ♭ (“flat”)

Usage notes

The letter b is used in several romanization systems to represent the bilabial plosive or stop, usually voiced (/b/), including Cyrillic б (“be”), Zhuyin fuhao ㄅ, and Korean jamo ㅂ (“bieup”).

Gallery

• Letter styles
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase versions of B, in normal and italic type
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase B in Fraktur
• 
  Approximate form of Greek upper case beta, which was the source for both common variants of b in uncial script

See also

• (IPA): p (“voiceless bilabial plosive”)
• (Latin script): Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
• For more variations, see Appendix:Variations of "b".

Other representations of B:

NATO phonetic: Bravo Morse code: –··· Braille: ⠃ ASL Manual: B

Signal flag:

Semaphore:

Further reading

• Voiced bilabial stop on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /b/ (see also Pronunciation under Translingual)
• (letter name) IPA^(key): /biː/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (letter name) Rhymes: -iː
• (letter name) Homophones: be, bee, Bea

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B, plural bs or b's)

1. The second letter of the English alphabet, called bee and written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

In Modern English, the letter b is sometimes silent, as when final after m, in climb, lamb, limb, tomb, thumb, and in a few other cases, such as debt and doubt. In most of these cases b is a modern graphic insertion, and was never pronounced (in the English forms); see limb, thumb, debt, and doubt.

See also

• (Latin script letters) letter; Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

Number

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The ordinal number second, derived from this letter of the English alphabet, called bee and written in the Latin script.

Etymology 2

Adjective

b (not comparable)

1. Abbreviation of born.

   Alternative form: b.

Symbol

b

1. (astronomy) latitude in the galactic coordinate system
2. (physics) barn
3. (computing) bit
4. (cricket) bye
5. (size) big

Derived terms

• (computing): Kb, Mb, Gb, Tb, Pb, Eb
• (computing): bps, b/s
• (cricket): lb
• (others): : menty b

Translations

in computing

• Esperanto: bit (eo)

See also

• (astronomy): ℓ (galactic longitude)
• (computing): B (byte)

• b-ball
• b-boy
• b-boying
• b-day
• b-flat
• b flat
• b-girl
• b-girling
• b-hop
• b-hopping
• b-school
• b sharp
• b-sharp
• b-word
• chlorophyll b
• my b

 

Etymology 3

Abbreviations.

Verb

b

1. (text messaging) Abbreviation of be.

   ima prolly b at home tn

   • 2020 February 27, u/Sneasel_, “adding everyone!”, in Reddit‎^[1], r/friendsafari, archived from the original on 11 November 2023:

     i am looking for any safari i am trying to fill my dex and it would b rly nice :D especially fire,ice, flying, since i don't a lot of those but everyone is welcome to add me :DD

   • 2021 October 27, @heluvstat, Twitter‎^[2], archived from the original on 11 November 2023:

     if u aren't tryna b like this don't hmu

   • 2023 October 27, u/electriccitydrive, “How do I become obsessed with studying”, in Reddit‎^[3], r/GetStudying, archived from the original on 11 November 2023:

     I wanna b like those girls who study NON STOP and are basically addicted to studying, any tips?

   • 2023 November 6, @1tyreece, Twitter‎^[4], archived from the original on 11 November 2023:

     school pizza party pizza b like

Symbol

b

1. (stenoscript) a single consonant /b/ in a word, or a dominant /b/ in a cluster.
2. (stenoscript) the sequence /biː/
3. (stenoscript) Abbreviation of be and inflections being, been.
4. (stenoscript) Abbreviation of by and homophones buy, bye.
5. (stenoscript) Abbreviation of but.

Afar

Letter

b

1. The second letter of the Afar alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, T t, S s, E e, C c, K k, X x, I i, D d, Q q, R r, F f, G g, O o, L l, M m, N n, U u, W w, H h, Y y

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b lower case (upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Azerbaijani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) hərf; A a, B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, E e, Ə ə, F f, G g, Ğ ğ, H h, X x, I ı, İ i, J j, K k, Q q, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ö ö, P p, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u, Ü ü, V v, Y y, Z z

Basque

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /be/, [be̞]

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Basque alphabet, called be and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ñ ñ, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ü ü), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈbe]

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Catalan alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) lletra; A a, À à, B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, E e, É é, È è, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, Ï ï, J j, K k, L l (L·L l·l), M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, Ò ò, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, Ü ü, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Central Mazahua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɓ/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. A letter of the Mazahua alphabet.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ⱥ ⱥ, A̱ a̱, B b, C c, Cꞌ cꞌ, Cj cj, Cu cu, Cꞌu cꞌu, Cju cju, Ch ch, Chꞌ chꞌ, Chj chj, D d, Dy dy, E e, Ɇ ɇ, E̱ e̱, G g, Gu gu, Hu hu, ꞌHu ꞌhu, I i, I̱ i̱, J j, Jꞌ jꞌ, Jm jm, Jn jn, Jñ jñ, Ju ju, Jy jy, L l, M m, Mꞌ mꞌ, N n, Nꞌ nꞌ, Ñ ñ, Ñꞌ ñꞌ, O o, Ø ø, O̱ o̱, P p, Pj pj, R r, S s, T t, Tꞌ tꞌ, Tj tj, Ts ts, Tsꞌ tsꞌ, Tsj tsj, U u, Ꞹ ꞹ, U̱ u̱, X x, Z z, Zh zh, ꞌ

Chipewyan

Pronunciation

1. IPA^(key): /p/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. A letter of the Chipewyan alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eː
• (letter name): IPA^(key): /beː/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) letter; A a (Á á, Ä ä), B b, C c, D d, E e (É é, Ë ë), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í, Ï ï, IJ ij), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ö ö), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú, Ü ü), V v, W w, X x, Y y (Ý ý), Z z

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /bo/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /b/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone (letter name): bo-

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Esperanto alphabet, called bo and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) litero; A a, B b, C c, Ĉ ĉ, D d, E e, F f, G g, Ĝ ĝ, H h, Ĥ ĥ, I i, J j, Ĵ ĵ, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, R r, S s, Ŝ ŝ, T t, U u, Ŭ ŭ, V v, Z z

Estonian

Pronunciation

• (letter name, bee): IPA^(key): /ˈb̥eː/, [ˈb̥eː]
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ˈb̥/, [ˈb̥]

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Estonian alphabet, called bee and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) täht; A a, B b (C c), D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p (Q q), R r, S s, Š š, Z z, Ž ž, T t, U u, V v (W w), Õ õ, Ä ä, Ö ö, Ü ü (X x, Y y)

Noun

b (genitive b or b', partitive b-d or b'd)

1. The letter b (the second letter of the Estonian alphabet)
2. (music) B-flat (note)

   Synonym: si-bemoll

Declension

Declension of b (ÕS type 26i/idee, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		b-	b-d
accusative	nom.
	gen.	b-
genitive			b-de
partitive		b-d	b-id b-sid
illative		b-sse	b-desse b-isse
inessive		b-s	b-des b-is
elative		b-st	b-dest b-ist
allative		b-le	b-dele b-ile
adessive		b-l	b-del b-il
ablative		b-lt	b-delt b-ilt
translative		b-ks	b-deks b-iks
terminative		b-ni	b-deni
essive		b-na	b-dena
abessive		b-ta	b-deta
comitative		b-ga	b-dega

(music):

Declension of b (ÕS type 26i/idee, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		b'	b'd
accusative	nom.
	gen.	b'
genitive			b'de
partitive		b'd	b'id b'sid
illative		b'sse	b'desse b'isse
inessive		b's	b'des b'is
elative		b'st	b'dest b'ist
allative		b'le	b'dele b'ile
adessive		b'l	b'del b'il
ablative		b'lt	b'delt b'ilt
translative		b'ks	b'deks b'iks
terminative		b'ni	b'deni
essive		b'na	b'dena
abessive		b'ta	b'deta
comitative		b'ga	b'dega

References

• b in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
• “b”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. The third letter of the Faroese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bókstavur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Рð, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, Y y, Ý ý, Æ æ, Ø ø

Finnish

Etymology 1

The Finnish orthography using the Latin script was based on those of Swedish, German and Latin, and was first used in the mid-16th century. No earlier script is known. See the Wikipedia article on Finnish for more information, and b for information on the development of the glyph itself.

Pronunciation

• Audio; “bee, bensiini, Bertta”:

  (file)

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Finnish alphabet, called bee and written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

• Used only in loanwords.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) kirjain; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s (Š š), T t, U u, V v (W w), X x, Y y, Z z (Ž ž), Å å, Ä ä, Ö ö

Etymology 2

German musical notation.

Noun

b

1. (music) B flat

Usage notes

• Capitalized for the great octave or any octave below that, or in names of major keys; not capitalized for the small octave or any octave above that, or in names of minor keys.
• Finnish uses the German system; B is written as h.

Declension

Inflection of b (Kotus type 18/maa) singular plural nominative b b:t genitive b:n b:iden b:itten partitive b:tä b:itä accusative b b:n b:t inessive b:ssä b:issä elative b:stä b:istä illative b:hen b:ihin adessive b:llä b:illä ablative b:ltä b:iltä allative b:lle b:ille essive b:nä b:inä translative b:ksi b:iksi abessive b:ttä b:ittä instructive – b:in comitative – b:ineen

Derived terms

compounds

• B-duuri
• b-molli

 

French

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /be/

• Audio:

  (file)

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the French alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Fula

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The third letter of the Fula alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).

See also

• (Latin-script letters) karfeeje; ', A a, B b, Mb mb, Ɓ ɓ, C c, D d, Nd nd, Ɗ ɗ, E e, F f, G g, Ng ng, Ɠ ɠ, H h, I i, J j, Nj nj, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ŋ ŋ, Ñ ñ, Ɲ ɲ, O o, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, W w, Y y, Ƴ ƴ

Gothic

Romanization

b

1. Romanization of 𐌱

Heiltsuk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. A letter of the Heiltsuk alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Á á, A̓ a̓, B b, C c, C̓ c̓, D d, Ꟛ ꟛ, G g, Gv gv, Ǧ ǧ, Ǧv ǧv, H h, H̓ h̓, Ħ ħ, I i, Í í, I̓ i̓, K k, Kv kv, K̓ k̓, K̓v k̓v, L l, ʼL l̓, Ḷ ḷ, Ḷ́ ḷ́, ʼḶ ḷ̓, Ɫ ɫ, M m, ʼM m̓, Ṃ ṃ, Ṃ́ ṃ́, ʼṂ ṃ̓, N n, ʼN n̓, Ṇ ṇ, Ṇ́ ṇ́, ʼṆ ṇ̓, P p, P̓ p̓, Q q, Qv qv, Q̓ q̓, Q̓v q̓v, S s, T t, T̓ t̓, Ƛ ƛ, Ƛ̓ ƛ̓, U u, Ú ú, U̓ u̓, W w, ʼW w̓, X x, Xv xv, X̌ x̌, X̌v x̌v, Y y, ʼY y̓, Z z, ʔ

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): [ˈb]
• (letter name): IPA^(key): [ˈbeː]

• Audio:

  (file)

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The third letter of the Hungarian alphabet, called bé and written in the Latin script.
3. (music) B-flat, B♭ (the 11th note of the C chromatic scale)

   Coordinate terms: cesz, desz, esz, fesz, gesz, asz

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, front unrounded harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	b	b-k
accusative	b-t	b-ket
dative	b-nek	b-knek
instrumental	b-vel	b-kkel
causal-final	b-ért	b-kért
translative	b-vé	b-kké
terminative	b-ig	b-kig
essive-formal	b-ként	b-kként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	b-ben	b-kben
superessive	b-n	b-ken
adessive	b-nél	b-knél
illative	b-be	b-kbe
sublative	b-re	b-kre
allative	b-hez	b-khez
elative	b-ből	b-kből
delative	b-ről	b-kről
ablative	b-től	b-ktől
non-attributive possessive - singular	b-é	b-ké
non-attributive possessive - plural	b-éi	b-kéi

Possessive forms of b
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	b-m	b-im
2nd person sing.	b-d	b-id
3rd person sing.	b-je	b-i
1st person plural	b-nk	b-ink
2nd person plural	b-tek	b-itek
3rd person plural	b-jük	b-ik

Derived terms

Compound words

• B-dúr
• b-moll

 

See also

• (Latin-script letters) betű; A a, Á á, B b, C c, Cs cs, D d, Dz dz, Dzs dzs, E e, É é, F f, G g, Gy gy, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, Ly ly, M m, N n, Ny ny, O o, Ó ó, Ö ö, Ő ő, P p, R r, S s, Sz sz, T t, Ty ty, U u, Ú ú, Ü ü, Ű ű, V v, Z z, Zs zs. Only in the extended alphabet: Q q W w X x Y y. Commonly used: ch. Also defined: à ë. In surnames (selection): ä aa cz ds eé eö ew oe oó th ts ÿ.
• B-dúr
• bé

Further reading

• (the letter): b in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (in music: “B-flat”): b in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (in music, rare): b , synonym of bé (“♭”), defined at bé in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“An Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• b in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /pjɛː/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. The third letter of the Icelandic alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bókstafur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Рð, E e, É é, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Þ þ, Æ æ, Ö ö

Ido

Pronunciation

• (context pronunciation) IPA^(key): /b/
• (letter name) IPA^(key): /be/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Ido alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) litero; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /be/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Indonesian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) huruf; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Irish

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Irish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) litir; A a (Á á), B b (Bh bh, bhF bhf, bP bp), C c (Ch ch), D d (Dh dh, dT dt), E e (É é), F f (Fh fh), G g (gC gc, Gh gh), H h, I i (Í í), L l, M m (mB mb, Mh mh), N n (nD nd, nG ng), O o (Ó ó), P p (Ph ph), R r, S s (Sh sh), T t (Th th, tS ts), U u (Ú ú), V v
• (diacritics) ◌́ ◌̇
• (dotted letters used chiefly in Gaelic type) Ḃ ḃ, Ċ ċ, Ḋ ḋ, Ḟ ḟ, Ġ ġ, Ṁ ṁ, Ṗ ṗ, Ṡ ẛ ṡ, Ṫ ṫ

Italian

Noun

b f or m (invariable, lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Italian alphabet, called bi and written in the Latin script.

Kankanaey

Etymology

Borrowed from Tagalog b. Letter pronunciation is influenced by English b.

Pronunciation

• (letter) IPA^(key): /bi/ [bi̞]
  • Rhymes: -i
• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /b/ [b̚]

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Kankanaey alphabet, called bi and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) letra; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ñ ñ, Ng ng, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

References

• Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (2016) Ortograpiya di Kankanaëy‎^[5] (in Kankanaey and Tagalog), →ISBN, pages 10-11

Kashubian

Etymology

The Kashubian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Kashubian alphabet article on Wikipedia for more, and b for development of the glyph itself.

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The fourth letter of the Kashubian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ą ą, àã, B b, C c, D d, E e, É é, Ë ë, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n, O o, Ò ò, Ó ó, Ô ô, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ù ù, W w, Y y, Z z, Ż ż

Latin

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. A letter in the Latin alphabet, representing the sound /b/

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, V v, X x, Y y, Z z

Latvian

Etymology

Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [b]

• Audio:

  (file)

Letter

B

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The third letter of the Latvian alphabet, called bē and written in the Latin script.

See also

• Letters of the Latvian alphabet:

  burti: Aa, Āā, Bb, Cc, Čč, Dd, Ee, Ēē, Ff, Gg, Ģģ, Hh, Ii, Īī, Jj, Kk, Ķķ, Ll, Ļļ, Mm, Nn, Ņņ, Oo, Pp, Rr, Ss, Šš, Tt, Uu, Ūū, Vv, Zz, Žž

Livonian

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. The fifth letter of the Livonian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) kēratēd̦; A a, Ā ā, Ä ä, Ǟ ǟ, B b, D d, D̦ d̦, E e, Ē ē, F f, G g, H h, I i, Ī ī, J j, K k, L l, Ļ ļ, M m, N n, Ņ ņ, O o, Ō ō, Ȯ ȯ, Ȱ ȱ, Õ õ, Ȭ ȭ, P p, R r, Ŗ ŗ, S s, Š š, T t, Ț ț, U u, Ū ū, V v, Z z, Ž ž

Lushootseed

Letter

b

1. The third letter of the Lushootseed alphabet, pronounced as a voiced bilabial stop.

Malay

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b/
• IPA^(key): /p/ (per final devoicing or assimilation to a following voiceless obstruent)

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Maltese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) ittra; A a, B b, Ċ ċ, D d, E e, F f, Ġ ġ, G g, Għ għ, H h, Ħ ħ, I i, Ie ie, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Ż ż, Z z

North Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [b] (most dialects)
• IPA^(key): [b̥~p] (Sylt, merges with ⟨p⟩ except at the start of a word or stressed syllable)

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. A letter of the North Frisian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (North Frisian letters): a, ä, å, ā, b, c, d, đ, e, ē, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, ö, p, r, s, t, u, ü, v, w (q, x, y, z)

Norwegian Bokmål

The uppercase and lowercase form of the letter B.

Alternative forms

• B

Etymology

Modification of the capital letter B by dropping its upper loop, from Latin B, from Etruscan 𐌁 (b, “be”), from Ancient Greek Β (B, “beta”), from the Phoenician 𐤁 (b, “bet”), from Proto-Canaanite , from Proto-Sinaitic , from Egyptian 𓉐, representing the plan of a house.

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /beː/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /b/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eː
• Hyphenation: b
• Homophones: B, be

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Norwegian Bokmål alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Noun

b m (definite singular b-en, indefinite plural b-er, definite plural b-ene)

1. the letter b, the second letter of the Norwegian alphabet
2. (music) the tone h lowered by half a step
   • 1944, Børre Qvamme, Musikk, pages 35–36:

     enhver tone er mangetydig, fiss er også gess, diss er ess, b er aiss og så videre

     every tone is ambiguous, fiss is also gess, diss is ace, b is aiss and so on

   • 2000, Bjørnar Pedersen og Egil Birkeland, Hillman Hunter:

     skotske sekkepiper stemmes i B

     Scottish bagpipes are tuned in B

3. (music) a B-flat (sign indicating that the following note is to be lowered by half a step)
   • 1974, Jens Bjørneboe, Haiene, page 98:

     ingen vil påstå at notebladet med nøkler, kryss og b’er er selve musikken

     no one will claim that the sheet music with keys, crosses and bs is the music itself

4. (physics) symbol for bar (“bar”)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /beː/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /b/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: be

Letter

b m (upper case B, definite singular b-en, indefinite plural b-ar, definite plural b-ane)

1. The second letter of the Norwegian alphabet, written in the Latin script.
3. (music) B-flat

Nupe

Pronunciation

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Nupe alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) banki; A a (Á á, À à), B b, C c, D d, Dz dz, E e (É é, È è), F f, G g, Gb gb, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì), J j, K k, Kp kp, L l, M m (Ḿ ḿ, M̀ m̀, M̄ m̄), N n (Ń ń, Ǹ ǹ, N̄ n̄), O o (Ó ó, Ò ò), P p, R r, S s, Sh sh, T t, Ts ts, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù), V v, W w, Y y, Z z, Zh zh

Polish

Etymology

The Polish orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the history of Polish orthography article on Wikipedia for more, and b for development of the glyph itself.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛ/

Letter

b (upper case B, lower case)

1. The third letter of the Polish alphabet, called be and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ą ą, B b, C c, Ć ć, D d, E e, Ę ę, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n, Ń ń, O o, Ó ó, P p (Q q), R r, S s, Ś ś, T t, U u (V v), W w (X x), Y y, Z z, Ź ź, Ż ż

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Audio (Brazil):

  (file)

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Portuguese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) letra; A a (Á á, À à,  â, àã), B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e (É é, Ê ê), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ô ô, Õ õ), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Romani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, X x, I i, J j, K k, Kh kh, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Ph ph, R r, S s, T t, Th th, U u, V v, Z z International Standard: (À à, Ä ä, Ǎ ǎ), Ć ć, Ćh ćh, (È è, Ë ë, Ě ě), (Ì ì, Ï ï, Ǐ ǐ), (Ò ò, Ö ö, Ǒ ǒ), Rr rr, Ś ś, (Ù ù, Ü ü, Ǔ ǔ), Ź ź, Ʒ ʒ, Q q, Ç ç, ϴ θ. Pan-Vlax: Č č, Čh čh, Dž dž, (Dź dź), Ř ř, Š š, (Ś ś), Ž ž, (Ź ź).

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The fourth letter of the Romanian alphabet, called be or bî and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ă ă,  â, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, Πî, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, Ș ș, T t, Ț ț, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Scottish Gaelic alphabet, written in the Latin script. It is preceded by a and followed by c. Its traditional name is beith (“birch”).

See also

• (Latin-script letters) litir; A a (À à), B b (Bh bh), C c (Ch ch), D d (Dh dh), E e (È è), F f (Fh fh), G g (Gh gh), H h, I i (Ì ì), L l, M m (Mh mh), N n, O o (Ò ò), P p (Ph ph), R r, S s (Sh sh), T t (Th th), U u (Ù ù)
• (diacritics) ◌̀
• (obsolete vowels) Á á É é Ó ó

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (Cyrillic spelling б)

1. The second letter of the Serbo-Croatian alphabet (gajica), written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) slȍvo; A a, B b, C c, Č č, Ć ć, D d, Dž dž, Đ đ, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Lj lj, M m, N n, Nj nj, O o, P p, R r, S s, Š š, T t, U u, V v, Z z, Ž ž

Silesian

Etymology

The Silesian orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the Silesian language article on Wikipedia for more, and b for development of the glyph itself.

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The third letter of the Silesian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, àã, B b, C c, Ć ć, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ł ł, M m, N n, Ń ń, O o, Ŏ ŏ, Ō ō, Ô ô, Õ õ, P p, R r, S s, Ś ś, T t, U u, W w, Y y, Z z, Ź ź, Ż ż

Skolt Sami

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. The third letter of the Skolt Sami alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bukva; A a,  â, B b, C c, Č č, Ʒ ʒ, Ǯ ǯ, D d, Đ đ, E e, F f, G g, Ǧ ǧ, Ǥ ǥ, H h, I i, J j, K k, Ǩ ǩ, L l, M m, N n, Ŋ ŋ, O o, Õ õ, P p, R r, S s, Š š, T t, U u, V v, Z z, Ž ž, Å å, Ä ä, ʹ

Slovene

Etymology

From Gay's Latin alphabet b, from Czech alphabet b, from Latin b, modification of capital letter B by dropping its upper loop, which is derived from the Etruscan letter 𐌁 (b, “be”), from the Ancient Greek letter Β (B, “beta”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤁 (b, “bet”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓉐. Pronunciation as IPA^(key): /bə/ is initial Slovene (phoneme plus a fill vowel) and the second pronunciation is probably taken from German B.

Pronunciation

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /b/, [p], [b̪]
• (letter name): IPA^(key): /bə́/, /bèː/, /béː/

• Audio (letter name, non-tonal):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ə, -eː

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Slovene alphabet, written in the Latin script.
2. The third letter of the Slovene alphabet (Resian), written in the Latin script.
3. The second letter of the Slovene alphabet (Natisone Valley dialect), written in the Latin script.

Symbol

b

1. (SNPT) Phonetic transcription of sound [b].

Noun

b m inan

1. The name of the Latin script letter B / b.
2. (linguistics) The name of the phoneme /b/.

Inflection

• Overall more common

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Masculine inan., soft o-stem
nom. sing.	b
gen. sing.	b-ja
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	b	b-ja	b-ji
genitive (rodȋlnik)	b-ja	b-jev	b-jev
dative (dajȃlnik)	b-ju	b-jema	b-jem
accusative (tožȋlnik)	b	b-ja	b-je
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	b-ju	b-jih	b-jih
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	b-jem	b-jema	b-ji

• More common when with a definite adjective

Masculine inan., no endings
nom. sing.	b
gen. sing.	b
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	b	b	b
accusative	b	b	b
genitive	b	b	b
dative	b	b	b
locative	b	b	b
instrumental	b	b	b

Derived terms

• če si rekel a, reci tudi b
• ƀ

 

See also

• (Latin-script letters) čŕka; A a, B b, C c, Č č, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, R r, S s, Š š, T t, U u, V v, Z z, Ž ž
• ƀ

Further reading

• “b”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2024

Slovincian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b/
• Rhymes: -b
• Syllabification: b

Particle

b

1. Alternative form of bë

Further reading

• Lorentz, Friedrich (1908) Slovinzisches Wörterbuch‎^[6] (in German), volume 1, Saint Petersburg: ОРЯС ИАН, page 10

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (phoneme) /b/ [β̞]
• IPA^(key): (letter name) /ˈbe/ [ˈbe]

  • Audio (Spain):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -e
  • IPA^(key): (common in some countries) /ˌbe ˈlaɾɡa/ [ˌbe ˈlaɾ.ɣ̞a] (be larga)

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Spanish alphabet, called be and written in the Latin script.

Derived terms

• cara b
• por h o por b

 

Swedish

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /beː/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Swedish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Noun

b

1. (slang) Abbreviation of brunt (“hashish”).

See also

• w

References

• Swedish Police Authority list of drug slang

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish b. Each pronunciation has a different source:

• Filipino alphabet pronunciation is influenced by English b.
• Abecedario pronunciation is from Spanish b.
• Abakada alphabet pronunciation is influenced by Baybayin character ᜊ (ba).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈbi/ [ˈbi] (letter name, Filipino alphabet)
    • Rhymes: -i
  • IPA^(key): /ˈbe/ [ˈbɛ] (letter name, Abecedario)
    • Rhymes: -e
  • IPA^(key): /ˈba/ [ˈba] (letter name, Abakada alphabet)
    • Rhymes: -a
  • IPA^(key): /b/ [b] (phoneme)

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B, Baybayin spelling ᜊᜒ)

1. The second letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Filipino alphabet), called bi and written in the Latin script.
2. (historical) The second letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Abecedario), called be and written in the Latin script.

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B, Baybayin spelling ᜊ)

1. The second letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Abakada alphabet), called ba and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) titik; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ñ ñ, Ng ng, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Etymology 2

From the Abakada alphabet letter b being pronounced as ba.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ba/ [bɐ]
• Rhymes: -a

Particle

b (Baybayin spelling ᜊ) (Internet slang, text messaging)

1. Abbreviation of ba (interrogative particle)

   D2 k b?

   R u here?

Further reading

• “b”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Turkish

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /b/
• (letter name) IPA^(key): /beː/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Turkish alphabet, called be and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) harf; A a ( â), B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, E e, F f, G g, Ğ ğ, H h, I ı, İ i (Πî), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ö ö, P p, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u (Û û), Ü ü, V v, Y y, Z z

Turkmen

Pronunciation

• (phoneme) IPA^(key): /b/

Letter

b (upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Turkmen alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) harp; A a, B b, Ç ç, D d, E e, Ä ä, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, Ž ž, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ň ň, O o, Ö ö, P p, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u, Ü ü, W w, Y y, Ý ý, Z z

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓe˧˧], [ʔɓe˧˧ ʔɓɔ˨˩], [ʔɓəː˨˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓej˧˧], [ʔɓej˧˧ ʔɓɔ˦˩], [ʔɓəː˦˩]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɓej˧˧], [ʔɓej˧˧ ʔɓɔ˨˩], [ʔɓəː˨˩]
• Phonetic spelling: bê, bê bò, bờ

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The fourth letter of the Vietnamese alphabet, called bê, bê bò, or bờ and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Quốc ngữ letters) chữ cái; A a (À à, Ả ả, àã, Á á, Ạ ạ), Ă ă (Ằ ằ, Ẳ ẳ, Ẵ ẵ, Ắ ắ, Ặ ặ),  â (Ầ ầ, Ẩ ẩ, Ẫ ẫ, Ấ ấ, Ậ ậ), B b, C c (Ch ch), D d, Đ đ, E e (È è, Ẻ ẻ, Ẽ ẽ, É é, Ẹ ẹ), Ê ê (Ề ề, Ể ể, Ễ ễ, Ế ế, Ệ ệ), G g (Gh gh, Gi gi), H h, I i (Ì ì, Ỉ ỉ, Ĩ ĩ, Í í, Ị ị), K k (Kh kh), L l, M m, N n (Ng ng, Ngh ngh, Nh nh), O o (Ò ò, Ỏ ỏ, Õ õ, Ó ó, Ọ ọ), Ô ô (Ồ ồ, Ổ ổ, Ỗ ỗ, Ố ố, Ộ ộ), Ơ ơ (Ờ ờ, Ở ở, Ỡ ỡ, Ớ ớ, Ợ ợ), P p (Ph ph), Q q (Qu qu), R r, S s, T t (Th th, Tr tr), U u (Ù ù, Ủ ủ, Ũ ũ, Ú ú, Ụ ụ), Ư ư (Ừ ừ, Ử ử, Ữ ữ, Ứ ứ, Ự ự), V v, X x, Y y (Ỳ ỳ, Ỷ ỷ, Ỹ ỹ, Ý ý, Ỵ ỵ)

Welsh

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /biː/
  • (informal) IPA^(key): /bə/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Welsh alphabet, called bi and written in the Latin script. It is preceded by a and followed by c.

Mutation

• b at the beginning of words mutates to f in a soft mutation, to m in a nasal mutation and is unchanged by aspirate mutation, for example with the word bara (“bread”):

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
bara	fara	mara	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) llythyren; A a (Á á, À à,  â, Ä ä), B b, C c, Ch ch, D d, Dd dd, E e (É é, È è, Ê ê, Ë ë), F f, Ff ff, G g, Ng ng, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì, Πî, Ï ï), J j, L l, Ll ll, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ò ò, Ô ô, Ö ö), P p, Ph ph, R r, Rh rh, S s, T t, Th th, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù, Û û, Ü ü), W w (Ẃ ẃ, Ẁ ẁ, Ŵ ŵ, Ẅ ẅ), Y y (Ý ý, Ỳ ỳ, Ŷ ŷ, Ÿ ÿ)

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “b”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Yele

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p/ (mb is pronounced [mb])

Letter

b

1. A letter of the Yele alphabet. Only occurs in the digraph ⟨mb⟩.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, â, b, Ch ch, D d, e, é, ê, Gh gh, i, î, j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ń ń, o, ó, P p, T t, U u, V v, W w, Y y, ꞉

Yoruba

Pronunciation

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /b/
• (letter name): IPA^(key): /bí/

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Yoruba alphabet, called bí and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) lẹ́tà; A a (Á á, À à, Ā ā), B b, D d, E e (É é, È è, Ē ē), Ẹ ẹ (Ẹ́ ẹ́, Ẹ̀ ẹ̀, Ẹ̄ ẹ̄), F f, G g, Gb gb, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì, Ī ī), J j, K k, L l, M m (Ḿ ḿ, M̀ m̀, M̄ m̄), N n (Ń ń, Ǹ ǹ, N̄ n̄), O o (Ó ó, Ò ò, Ō ō), Ọ ọ (Ọ́ ọ́, Ọ̀ ọ̀, Ọ̄ ọ̄), P p, R r, S s, Ṣ ṣ, T t, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù, Ū ū), W w, Y y
• (Benin) (Latin-script letters) lɛ́tà; A a, B b, D d, E e, Ɛ ɛ, F f, G g, Gb gb, H h, I i, J j, K k, Kp kp, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ɔ ɔ, P p, R r, S s, Sh sh, T t, U u, W w, Y y

Zulu

Letter

b (lower case, upper case B)

1. The second letter of the Zulu alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z