Spelling your name out loud

1. 1
   spell/spel/

   verb

   To say the letters of a word in order.
2. 2
   letter/ˈletər/

   noun

   One of the signs used to write words.
3. 3
   double/ˈdʌbəl/

   adjective

   Twice as many, or a pair of the same thing.
4. 4
   capital/ˈkæpətəl/

   noun

   A large form of a letter.
5. 5
   surname/ˈsɜːrˌneɪm/

   noun

   The family name that comes last.
6. 6
   digit/ˈdɪdʒət/

   noun

   A single number from zero to nine.
7. 7
   hear/hiːr/

   verb

   To take in a sound.
8. 8
   line/laɪn/

   noun

   The telephone connection between two people.
9. 9
   initial/ˌɪˈnɪʃəl/

   noun

   The first letter of a name.
10. 10
    pronounce/prəˈnaʊns/

    verb

    To say a word the way it should sound.

The sentences

1. Shall I spell that for you again?

2. Could you check the third letter again?

3. There is a double consonant in the middle.

4. It starts with a capital, of course.

5. My surname is the harder of the two.

6. Read the last digit back to me.

7. I can hardly hear you at all.

8. The line went quiet for a moment.

9. Just the initial is fine for now.

10. Most people pronounce it wrong at first.

Pronunciation

• double/ˈdʌbəl/

  The second syllable is barely there: DUB-l.

• capital/ˈkæpətəl/

  Three syllables, stress on the first: CAP-i-tal.

• digit/ˈdɪdʒət/

  Both G sounds are soft: DIJ-it.

• hear/hiːr/

  It rhymes with near, not with bear.

• initial/ˌɪˈnɪʃəl/

  The TI is SH: i-NISH-al.

• pronounce/prəˈnaʊns/

  Stress the second syllable: pro-NOUNCE.

Questions

What do you say if someone keeps writing your name wrong?

You can say 'Shall I spell that for you again?' to spell it out clearly.

What does 'digit' mean in this context?

It means a single number from zero to nine, as in 'Read the last digit back to me.'

What's the word for the first letter of a name?

It's initial, as in 'Just the initial is fine for now.'