'It's Better. I Hate It' — The New Alphabet Song Kids Are Being Taught These Days
The new alphabet song eliminates the grouping of "LMNOP," making it easier for kids to hear all the letter sounds in between.
Updated Aug. 5 2024, 10:53 a.m. ET
Another day, another reason for social media to be in an uproar about something being completely ruined forever. This time, it’s the alphabet song. You know the one —it’s all the letters of the alphabet sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (or “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” if you prefer).
You might think something as simple and educational as the alphabet song would remain uncontroversial throughout the end of time. Well, it didn’t. There’s a new alphabet song, and social media is divided over it.
What’s the new alphabet song?
Manipulation of the original alphabet song dates back to Oct. 25, 2019, when Noah Garfinkel — a writer-comedian and also the guy who appears in the portrait of Doug Forcett in The Good Place (yes, really) took to Twitter with the horrifying news. “They changed the ABC song,” he wrote. “And it is life ruining.” Here’s the clip of the song he shared. See if you notice the change. (Note: You will notice the change).
Did you catch that? Of course you did. It was right after the “K.” If you were singing along, you probably immediately launched into “ellemenopee,” but that’s where they get ya. Instead of smearing the letters L, M, N, O, and P into one indistinguishable, four-syllable word, the “new” song splits them up. “L, M, N” and then a pause… and then: “O, P, Q, R, S, T, U.” Look, it’s bonkers. It sounds very weird to those of us who grew up singing about ellemenopees (and having no idea what they were).
As you'd expect, Twitter was outraged. Ruin a childhood classic? Not on their watch. The new alphabet song quickly drew dismay, but it seems the tune has evolved yet again. In August 2024, Teacher Rachel on TikTok confirmed that some kids are learning yet another version of the alphabet. This change might actually help, addressing the issue of kids lumping together "LMNOP" or interpreting "Y and Z" as "YN" and "Z."
While the new alphabet song follows the original tune, it changes the letter grouping: ABCDEFG/HIJKLMN/OPQ/RST/UVW/XYZ. The ending is now "Now I never will forget how to say the alphabet." Check it out below.
Are all kids being taught the new alphabet song?
Look, we’re all a little shaken up after hearing the ABC song remix. However, it's unclear if all educators are teaching the new alphabet in their classrooms. While Teacher Rachel confirmed she uses it, you should check with your child's teacher to see what methods they are using to teach the ABCs.
But! We do have to admit that the “new” alphabet song has the distinct advantage of actually separating the letters L, M, N, O, and P in such a way that makes them totally distinguishable. Could this “new” alphabet song actually maybe be just a teeny tiny little bit better? We’re not saying that it is (because we don’t want to be attacked by Twitter or TikTok), but we’re not not saying it, either.
