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((Short description|Typographical element))
((More citations needed|date=July 2013))

In [[typography]] and [[handwriting]], a '''superior letter''' is a [[lower-case letter]] placed above the baseline and made smaller than an ordinary script. The style has traditionally been distinct from [[Subscript and superscript|superscript]].((how|date=February 2021)) Formerly quite common in abbreviations, the original purpose was to make handwritten abbreviations clearly distinct from normal words. These could also be used to make the important words on signs larger. In technical terms, the superior letter can also be called the '''superscripted minuscule letter'''. In modern usage, with [[word processors]] and [[text entry interface]]s, [[Subscript and superscript|superscript]] and superior letters are produced in the same way and look identical. Their distinction would refer to their usage and not to their form.

With the advent of [[printing]], pieces of type were cast to enable them to appear in print. These are still commonly used in [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]], though their appearance in [[English language|English]] has diminished. Not every letter in the alphabet has a piece of type cast for it as a superior letter. In the book ''Thinking in Type'', by [[Alex W. White]], it is stated that there are only twelve superior letters used in French and Spanish: ''a, b, d, e, i, l, m, n, o, r, s,'' and ''t''.<ref>((Google books|_BN6XGZUF-gC&|'''Thinking In Type:''' The Practical Philosophy Of Typography|page=41))</ref> However, a few other superior letters are also used those languages, for example in English, ''h'' is also sometimes rendered as a superior letter, or in French, superior ''g'' is used in some abbreviations (''See below'').

==Use in French==
[[File:A4 - A104 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Direction, position, or indication sign|directional road sign]] in France abbreviating ((lang|fr|sur)) as ''<sup>s</sup>/'', ((lang|fr|Centre)) as ''C<sup>tre</sup>'', ((lang|fr|Commercial)) as ''Comm<sup>cial</sup>'', and ((lang|fr|Régional)) as ''R<sup>al</sup>'']]

In French, certain abbreviations<ref>((cite web|title=Suppression de lettres|url=http://bdl.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/bdl/gabarit_bdl.asp?Th=2&t1=&id=1408|website=Office québécois de la langue française|accessdate=22 March 2016))</ref> are written with the first letter(s) of the word they represent, followed by the final letter(s) in superscript. The superscript in this case is sometimes optional. Most commonly, this appears in the abbreviations of personal titles: ''M<sup>gr</sup>'' (or ''Mgr'') stands for ((wikt-lang|fr|monseigneur)) ('Your Grace'), ''M<sup>lle</sup>'' (or ''Mlle'') for ((wikt-lang|fr|mademoiselle)) ('Miss'), ''M<sup>e</sup>'' for ((wikt-lang|fr|maître)) ('Maestro'), etc. Other abbreviations containing superior letters are ''m<sup>dise</sup>'' for ((wikt-lang|fr|marchandise)) ('merchandise'), ''éch<sup>ce</sup>'' for ((wikt-lang|fr|échéance)) ('due date'), and ''M<sup>o</sup>'' for ((lang|fr|métro)) ('subway').

When ordinal numbers are abbreviated,<ref>((cite web|title=Abréviation de l'adjectif numéral ordinal|url=http://bdl.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/bdl/gabarit_bdl.asp?t1=1&id=4271|website=Office québécois de la langue française|accessdate=22 March 2016))</ref> superscript letters are generally used:
* ((lang|fr|premier)): ''1<sup>er</sup>'' ('first')
* ((lang|fr|vingtième siècle)): ''XX<sup>e</sup> ((lang|fr|siècle)) ('twentieth century')
* ((lang|fr|quatre centième)): ''400<sup>e</sup>'' ('four hundredth')
* ((lang|fr|énième)): ''N<sup>ième</sup>'' ('nth')

==Use in Spanish==
In Spanish, they are known as ((lang|es|letras voladas)) ('flying letters', in Spain) or ((lang|es|voladitas)) (((lit|little flying)) letters). At present, these letters are usually not underlined, though underlining them is acceptable. It is ruled that a period must be added immediately before them,<ref>[http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltGUIBusDPD?lema=punto#22 Diccionario panhispánico de dudas], Real Academia Española, 2005.</ref> despite the fact that this norm is often ignored.

Superior letters are used to shorten various words in order to save space: ''f.<sup>o</sup>'' (((lang|es|folio)) 'page'); titles: ''D.<sup>a</sup>'' (((lang|es|doña)) 'Lady, Ms.'); personal compound given names: ''M.<sup>a</sup> Cristina'' (((lang|es|María Cristina|italics=unset))) and regular administrative expressions: ''imp.<sup>to</sup>'' (((lang|es|impuesto)) 'tax').

For singular ordinal numbers, shortened forms use the feminine (((char|ª))) and masculine (((char|º))) [[ordinal indicator]]s,<ref>((cite web|title=Diccionario panhispánico de dudas: Ordinales|url=http://buscon.rae.es/dpd/srv/search?id=nypwukqZ6D64M23Yos|website=Real Academia Española|accessdate=21 March 2016))</ref> rather than the superscript <sup>a</sup> and <sup>o</sup>, except in ordinal numbers ending in ''-er'' (only before masculine singular sustantives for ordinal numbers whose cardinal equivalent finishes in ''1'' and ''3'', except with the ''11.º'' variant spelled ((lang|es|undécimo))).

*((lang|es|primera)): ''1.ª'', ((lang|es|primero)): ''1.º'', ((lang|es|primer)): ''1.<sup>er</sup>'' ('first')
*((lang|es|segunda)): ''2.ª'', ((lang|es|segundo)): ''2.º'', ((lang|es|segundo)): ''2.<sup>do</sup>'' ('second')
*((lang|es|tercera)): ''3.ª'', ((lang|es|tercero)): ''3.º'', ((lang|es|tercer)): ''3.<sup>er</sup>'' ('third')
*((lang|es|vigésima primera)): ''21.ª'', ((lang|es|vigésimo primero)): ''21.º'', ((lang|es|vigésimo primer)): ''21.<sup>er</sup>'' ('twenty-first')
*((lang|es|vigésima quinta)): ''25.ª'', ((lang|es|vigésimo quinto)): ''25.º'' ('twenty-fifth')

For plural ordinal numbers, shortened forms use the superscript <sup>as</sup> and <sup>os</sup>:
*((lang|es|primeras)): ''1.<sup>as</sup>'', ((lang|es|primeros)): ''1.<sup>os</sup>'' ('firsts')
*((lang|es|segundas)): ''2.<sup>as</sup>'', ((lang|es|segundos)): ''2.<sup>os</sup>'' ('seconds')
*((lang|es|terceras)): ''3.<sup>as</sup>'', ((lang|es|terceros)): ''3.<sup>os</sup>'' ('thirds')
*((lang|es|vigésimas quintas)): ''25.<sup>as</sup>'' , ((lang|es|vigésimos quintos)): ''25.<sup>os</sup>'' ('twenty-fifths')

==Use in English==
[[File:GWashingtonConst.jpg|thumb|right|Signature of [[George Washington]] on the [[United States Constitution]] with superior letters, reading ''G<sup>o</sup>.&nbsp;Washington—Presid<sup>t</sup>. and deputy from Virginia''.]]

In English, superior letters are reserved for use with ordinal numerals, as in ''1<sup>st</sup>'', ''2<sup>nd</sup>'', ''3<sup>rd</sup>'', etc. However, this use is not mandatory and not always preferred: ''1st'', ''2nd'', ''3rd'', etc. are also accepted abbreviations of ordinal numerals.

Previously, in English-speaking countries, [[wikt:Appendix:Abbreviations for English given names|abbreviations of given names]] were used for recordkeeping. Today, their use is very uncommon, and they are generally only found in historical records. These abbreviations sometimes employed superior letters; for example, Alex<sup>r</sup> for Alexander, Nic<sup>s</sup> for Nicholas.<ref>((cite web|title=Notes: Common Abbreviations|url=http://www.huroncounty.ca/library/assess/notes3.htm|website=Huron County|accessdate=6 April 2016))</ref>

==Masculine and feminine ordinal indicators==
((main|Ordinal indicator))Most [[typewriter]]s for Spanish and other Romance languages had keys that could enter <sup><u>o</u></sup> and <sup><u>a</u></sup> directly, as a shorthand intended to be used primarily with ordinal numbers, such as 1.<sup><u>o</u></sup> for first.

In computing, early 8-bit [[character set]]s as [[code page 437]] for the original [[IBM PC]] (circa 1981) also had these characters. In [[ISO-8859-1]] Latin-1, and later in [[Unicode]], they were assigned to and are known as U+00AA FEMININE ORDINAL INDICATOR (ª) and U+00BA MASCULINE ORDINAL INDICATOR (º). Here, "feminine" and "masculine" refers to [[grammatical gender]]. In Spanish, Portuguese, Galician and Italian, gender is usually distinguished by the suffixes ''-a'' and ''-o''. These ordinal indicators are now distinct from the superior <sup>o</sup> and <sup>a</sup> characters. Apart from [[Microsoft]]’s [[Calibri]] or [[Cambria (typeface)|Cambria]], in most of the commonly available [[computer font]]s today, [[ordinal indicator]]s are not underlined.

== Numero sign ==
((main|Numero sign))

One abbreviation using a superior letter, the ''numero'' sign, has been given its own character: №. Originally, this was just another use of a superior <sup>o</sup>, abbreviating ''numero'', the word for 'number' in several [[Romance language]]s. It often appears in English, for example in № 2 pencil, for 'number-two pencil'.

In [[Unicode]], it is assigned to character U+2116 NUMERO SIGN (№) within the [[Letterlike Symbols block]].

== Phonetic transcription ==
Several superior letters are used in phonetic transcription systems. The International Phonetic Alphabet uses the superscript n ⁿ for nasal release, the superscript w ʷ to indicate labialized or labio-velarized consonants, the superscript h ʰ for aspirated consonants, the superscript j ʲ for palatalized consonants, the superscript gamma ᵞ for velarized consonants, the superscript turned h ᶣ for labio-palatalized consonants, the superscript reversed glottal stop for pharyngealized consonants, the superscript glottal stop is used for glottalized but pulmonic sonorants, such as [mˀ], [lˀ], [wˀ], [aˀ].
Other superscript letters are used as an alternative way to represent double articulated consonants, for example [tˢ] for [t͡s].

== See also ==
*[[Subscript and superscript]]
*[[Unicode subscripts and superscripts]]
*[[Ordinal indicator]]
*[[Numero sign]]
*[[Degree symbol|Degree sign]]

==References==
((reflist))

((DEFAULTSORT:Superior Letter))
[[Category:Typography]]

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