Iuliet

 Here’s an image illustrating the historical evolution of the letter J—showing how it emerged from forms of the letter I, particularly in Roman numerals and medieval scripts.

The Newest Letter in the English Alphabet

The letter J is indeed the most recent addition to the modern English alphabet. Here’s how it came to be:

Origins & Evolution

1. A Variant of I
   
• Originally, there was no separate letter J in the Latin alphabet. Scribes used I to denote both the vowel /i/ and the consonant sounds /j/ or /dʒ/. Over time, a stylistic variant—a swash of I—was used in prominent positions, like at the end of Roman numerals (e.g. “XXIIJ” for 23)  .
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3. Emergence of the Distinct Letter
   
• In the early 16th century, Italian grammarian Gian Giorgio Trissino proposed distinguishing between I (for vowels) and J (for consonant sounds) in his 1524 treatise Epistola del Trissino  .
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5. Formal Recognition
   
• Though the distinction was proposed in the 1500s, the fully recognized, separate letter J didn’t become standard until the 17th century, with widespread use appearing in printing and English texts  .
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7. Shakespeare and the King James Bible
   
• In Shakespeare’s time (late 16th–early 17th century), “J” was often still represented by “I”—for example, “Iuliet” for “Juliet.” Early editions of the King James Bible (1611) reflected this, while later editions (e.g., by 1629) began using J (e.g., “Jesus,” “Joseph”)  .
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Summary Table

Feature	Details
Letter	J (uppercase), j (lowercase)
Position in alphabet	10th letter
Origin	Variant of I—initially a swash in Roman script
First distinction	Proposed by Trissino in 1524
Standardized use	17th century, becoming widely distinct from I
After Shakespeare era	Fully integrated as a separate letter in printed English documents

Final Takeaway

The letter J—tenth in the Latin alphabet—is the latest addition, carving out its own identity only in the early modern period. It began as a flourish on the letter I, evolved through scholarly distinction, and became firmly established in English writing by the 17th century.

Curious about how other letters (like U, W, or Z) evolved—or want to see more script comparisons? Just let me know!