What Letter is Not in Any State Name (And Which is Most Popular)?

If you enjoy sitting around playing word games in your mind, you’ll appreciate this one as well. What letter is not in any state name? There are only 25 letters in the alphabet and 50 states in the US, not counting Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. Even though both are off and on flirting with the idea of becoming a state.

The only letter from our illustrious alphabet that doesn’t appear in any state names is “Q”. The most popular letter is “A”. When it comes to naming babies, whether boy or girl, A is usually in the top three popular first letters in the first name. Poor Q just can’t catch a break.

One place the letter A loses out is in terms of the most commonly used letter. That illustrious award goes to the letter E. There’s no telling why the letter A is the most popular of the bunch or why no one thought to name a state that includes a Q, but both letters have a unique history.

How Popular is the Letter Q?

Since Q is a letter not in any state name, you can bet it’s not very popular either. Depending on who you ask, the letter Q is the second to the fourth least used letter in the alphabet. The letters K, X, and Z are commonly in close competition with Q.

According to the English Club, the letter Q is the second least used letter, with the letter Z bringing up the rear. However, X and K are often on the list as well. When you’re dealing with letters used less than one percent of all other letters, sometimes first through fourth place shift around.

Q is a neat-looking letter, there just isn’t much use for it when you compile the whole of the English language together. The word “quit” is probably the most common word with a Q in it—maybe quiet or quiet.

How Popular is the Letter A?

As far as states are concerned, there are more As in all 50 state names than there are states. Some states, like Alabama and Alaska, have A in there more than once. In terms of overall popularity, it’s not based on how much people just love the letter A, but how frequently it’s used in the text (outside of the dictionary).

Those who sit down and analyze these things neglect to include the Dictionary simply because it’s a compilation of every word in the English language. It would skew the overall results. The idea is to see how often letters are used naturally, without interference from something like a dictionary.

According to Samuel Morse, the guy who came up with Morse Code, the letter A is the third most frequently used letter in the text. When it comes to vocabulary, however, it’s a different story. People don’t often talk in the same way they write.

When you think about it, that makes plenty of sense. When you’re writing, whether you’re handwriting or sending off an email, you tend to be more professional. You don’t want that prospective client, customer, or associate to think you can’t spell, speak English, are lazy, or lack professionalism.

Text versus Vocabulary

That’s just one, small example of why there is such a fundamental difference between text and vocabulary. When we’re talking about vocabulary usage, the letter A jumps up one spot to second place, behind the letter E.

The letter E is easily the most common letter used in day-to-day vocabulary and text. In the text, the letter E sits above the letter T and the third-place letter A. In vocabulary, the letter E is used 11.161% of the time, while the letter A is used 8.5% of the time.

Infrequent Letters in State Names

The letter Q just isn’t very popular. It’s the only letter not in any state name but it’s not the only unpopular letter. As mentioned above, the letter A is all over the place when it comes to state names. But what are some of the other letters that are rare in state names?

The Letter Z

Only one state has the letter Z in it and the letter is only used once in the name. The letter Z is one state and one character away from joining the letter Q in that lonely space of unwanted and unused letters.

Arizona is the lone state to embrace the letter Z and keep it off the Q-letter chopping block. That’s it. No other states use it, even in abbreviated names or nicknames. It makes sense. The letter Z is rarely used in anything and the same holds for state names.

The Letter P

You would think the letter P would be graced with some additional popularity. After all, it’s the first and third letter in the word, “popularity.” Reality is different, however, and the letter P is only used in the names of three states – Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and New Hampshire.

Mississippi is the lone state with two Ps but, then again, Mississippi is a strange name on its own.

The Letter X

The letter X falls just behind the letter Z in terms of infrequency. It’s only used in two states – Texas and New Mexico. Most people would immediately assume that X is the rarest letter of them all. Fortunately, for X, it’s more common than both Z and Q.

All Things Considered

One of the reasons that Q is so unpopular is the U that often succeeds it. No, the letter U doesn’t always have to come after Q but, in most cases, it does. That makes it difficult to place Q anywhere but at the bottom of the letter hierarchy.

Z, X, V, K, P, and J are often at the bottom of the lists as well. Except for Q, they still all found their way into a state name or two, regardless of their rarity. Letters and their uses are pretty fascinating when you dig into their history and application.

Don’t worry about Q, though. It still has one claim to fame that most of the other letters don’t share. It’s one of the most powerful and coveted letters in Scrabble. That has to be worth something.