Did you know the English alphabet once had 27 letters? That’s right! The symbol "&" was considered a letter and placed at the end, right after "Z." Known as the ampersand, it comes from Latin et, meaning "and." Children reciting the alphabet would say, "X, Y, Z, and per se &," which means "and, by itself, &." Over time, "and per se and" slurred into "ampersand!" Though no longer a letter, it remains a favorite in branding, design, and everyday shortcuts. Pretty cool, right?