elemeno

E1L1E1M3E1N1O1

noun

A nonexistent letter of the alphabet which some children think comes between k and p.

Scrabble 9

Meanings

noun

alternative ellemeno

  1. childishA nonexistent letter of the alphabet which some children think comes between k and p.

    Had you asked me what letter preceded "P," I would have told you, "Elemeno."

    1992, Naomi Baron, “Beyond Elemeno” (chapter 7), in Growing Up With Language: How Children Learn To Talk, page 193
    2 more examples

    In the early days, when I was setting out the alphabet blocks in order, I could not find Elemeno to come after H I J and K.

    1955, Norah Burke, chapter 6, in Jungle Child, page 56

    MICHAELA: You failed first grade because you got it in your head that elemeno pea was one letter, not five... (Beat.) And now it's a little joke about how you fuck things up for yourself. Right?

    2014, Molly Smith Metzler, Elemeno Pea, →ISBN, page 34

Origin

Phonetic misinterpretation of the four sequential letters L, M, N, O which are usually spoken quickly while reciting the alphabet.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

elemeno. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elemeno

MLA

“elemeno.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elemeno. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “elemeno,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elemeno.

Source: elemeno on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.