twenty-six in fifty-two

twenty-third letter of the Latin alphabet, eighteenth consonant
phonetic name: "voiced bilabial semivowel"; pucker your lips into a circle and make a sound from your vocal chords as your release the tension in your lips (n.b.: W is one of the few letters whose name does not match its sound AND the only letter name with more than one syllable)
Egyptian hieroglyph was a small quail
W only appears around the twelfth century, first as UU, the UV, and then later as VV
W was reluctantly accepted in the French alphabet in the late 18th century; "We may say that this letter belongs in no way to the French alphabet; for although it may be pronounced sometimes as [v] and sometimes as [w], it hardly attains the genius of our language." -1839 French dictionary
French printers later began to prefer the double V shape
the english W ("double-u") evokes the earlier handwritten form; the French W (which translates literally as "double-v") refers more to the print shape
W is represented as either two linked (an upside down M) or overlapping Vs
W is usually the Widest letter in standard typefaces
W can be silent (two, answer)
W is a vowel in Welsh language
W in the Finnish alphabet is still seen as a variant of V and not a separate letter
In Arabic, W is written using the penultimate letter of the alphabet, waw
associated with water and duplication
the shape of W is closely tied to pictograms of water (n.b.: it is also the first letter of the words "water" and "wet")
W on a map, compass or weather map is West
W wants to know all the answers: who, what, when, where, and why?
in electricity, W stands for watt, a unit of mechanical or electrical power
in radio, W band ranges from 75 to 111 GHz
in physics, W is the symbol for mechanical work
W is also associate with George W. (Dubya) Bush, 43rd President of the United States
W is an American women's fashion magazine
W is the amino acid associated with turkey meat and drowsiness (which is a myth)
W can also abbreviate Wales, warden, Wednesday, weekly, weight, western, wide, width, widow, wife, with, work
double W (WW) abbreviates World War (WWI, WWII)
triple W (WWW) stands for world wide web
W is the chemical symbol for tungsten (#74 on the periodic table), a gray metal that has the highest melting point and lowest vapour pressure of all metals, and also has excellent corrosion resistance properties.
NATO phonetic alphabet: WHISKEY
"The sound vibration of the consonant 'W' means 'two ways of descending light'." - Joseph E. Rael

twenty-second letter of the Latin alphabet, seventeenth consonant
phonetic name: "voiced labiodental fricative"; place your top teeth on your bottom lip, vocalize and release (n.b. V engages the vocal chord, F does not)
like U, Egyptian hieroglyphs was a snake/dragon (Cerastes)
like U, Proto-Sinaitic letter for U, V & W was waw, all derived from the letter F
like U, Greeks adopted it as their letter upsilon (uppercase Υ, lowercase υ), pronounced yoo-psil-on, and meaning "naked U"
in Roman, 'V' represents 5; on monuments, U was often an abbreviation of urbs (city), usus (used/usage) or uxor (woman)
'V' as 5 is derived from the convention of counting by notches carved in wood, with every fifth notch cut to form a V shape
Julius Caesar is known for his post-battle message "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered")
U and V were indistinguishable until the 18th century, when V officially became a consonant
V is not used very frequently in English, but appears frequently in the Spanish language (where it is pronounced as B)
associated with purpose, immersion, advancement
V is dynamic and positive; conveying spreading of arms, wings, expressing vitality, joy and freedom (found in positive words like vivacious, vivid)
V's sound is soft, caressing and sensual, but also fast and trembling (like the wind)
V (like U) evokes the idea of a container by its form, and is also shown in words like vase, vessel, vial, vat, ventricle
V has always been associated with the feminine (vagina, vulva) and V recalls the Sumerian ideogram for "woman" (a triangle on point)
V is the first letter of the goddess of love and beauty (Venus), and central to the name Eve
clock and watch hands are often set at 10:10 (making a V shape), which is considered positive (like a check mark)
in WWII, V was a symbol for Victory for the allies; V can be formed with the index and middle finger, meaning "peace" (attributed to Winston Churchill)
V can be formed by two arms in the air, indicating that help is needed
in music, V indicates passages to be played by violin, or volti (turn); VS means volti subito (turn quickly)
in geometry, V stands for volume
in electricity, V is voltage or volt, electric potential difference in a circuit, or its unit of measurement
in grammar, V is verb
in radio, V band ranges from 50 to 75 GHz
v. or vs. abbreviated "versus"
geese are known to fly in a V-shape when migrating, and is considered to be aerodynamically efficient; V formations are also used on military flight missions
the V8 car engine originated in the 1915 Cadillac, with its two rows of four cylinders
V8 is a canned beverage containing 8 vegetables: tomatoes, beets, celery, carrots, lettuce, parsley, watercress, and spinach
V (like T and U) is often used to describe the shape of objects: V-block, V-bottom, V-cut, V hut, V-neck, V-antenna, V-beam, V belt, V bob, V roof, V-hook, V moth, V notch, V particle, V-type engine, V-pug, V stern, V tail, V thread, V tool, V vat, V chip etc.
V is the chemical symbol for vanadium (#92 on the periodic table), a greyish silvery metal, and is most often used as an additive to improve steels
NATO phonetic alphabet: VICTOR
"'V' is the vase." -Victor Hugo, French poet & playwright
"The sound vibration of the consonant 'V' means 'descending light'." - Joseph E. Rael
"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V." - from V for Vendetta, film based on the dystopian comic book series by Alan Moore
V can also abbreviate Vatican City, verb, verse, version, verso, very, victory, volume, voice

twenty-first letter of the Latin alphabet, fifth and final vowel
phonetic name: "near-close near-back vowel" or "close central rounded vowel; sound: press your tongue to your palate and vocalize while closing your lips
Egyptian hieroglyphs was a snake/dragon (Cerastes)
Proto-Sinaitic letter for U, V & W was waw, all derived from the letter F
Greeks adopted it as their letter upsilon (uppercase Υ, lowercase υ), pronounced yoo-psil-on, and meaning "naked U"
in Roman, 'U' (written V) represents 5; on monuments, U was often an abbreviation of urbs (city), usus (used/usage) or uxor (woman)
U and V were indistinguishable for centuries; in the ninth century, we see U sometimes topped with a small accent / diacritic mark
the first time the letters U and V were consistently differentiated was in 1386; in 1548, U was first used as a vowel (with a rounded base) and V as a consonant (with a pointed base), but this was not officially recognized by the French Academy until 1726
W, aka "double-U", was originally called "double vay" / "double-V" (which actually makes more sense) :P
upper case U came into being in 1629
U is the only vowel that doesn't have a consistent matching long vowel sound (vs. ay, ee, igh, oh); long U can also be pronounced "oo" (ie. blue, rude)
short U can be shallow (ie. cup, sun, butter) or deep (ie. push, pull)
U is very common in vowel pairings, which produces a huge variety of sounds (au, ua, eu, ue, iu, ui, ou, uo and uu)
U almost always follows Q (exceptions here), and very often after G
associated with receptacle, earth, femininity
U evokes a cup or container designed to receive, hold or contain; often related to the female uterus (n.b.: U also appears twice in the word uterus)
U also suggests a horseshoe or magnet - strong, potent, made or iron
U is associated with the colour green, flora and chlorophyll, and sometimes connected to wood, the rustic and traditional values
when sung on musical note C, U acts on the first chakra (aka "the root chakra"), which is associated with the colour red, squares, and the universe
U is often used to describe the shape of objects: U-lock, U-turn, U-bolt, U-rail, U-tube
U-boat is a military submarine from the German Unterseeboot, meaning "undersea boat"
U inside a circle, Ⓤ, indicates kosher, which means "suitable for consumption" in Hebrew
U in education can mean Unsatisfactory
U abbreviates University (U of T = University of Toronto) and United (USA, UAE, etc.)
UV abbreviates ultra-violet
phonetic sound, "yoo", is the second-person personal pronoun (you!), or a female domestic sheep (ewe)
yu (竽; pronounced yoo) is also a free reed wind instrument imported from ancient China
U very often abbreviates the word "you", especially in text messaging, email, and SMS language
rockband U2 chose their name partly in reference to an Irish federal unemployment insurance form called a U-2
U is the chemical symbol for uranium (#92 on the periodic table), a silvery-white metal that is the only naturally occurring fissile isotope. Its radioactive properties make it practical for medical x-rays, nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
NATO phonetic alphabet: UNIFORM
"From a lump of clay we fashion a vase; This empty space in the vase permits its use." - Lao Tsu
"U, waves, divine vibrations of verdant seas, Peace of pastures dotted with livestock, peace of the furrows, Which alchemy prints on broad studious brows." - Arthur Rimbaud, Vowels
"'U' is the urn." -Victor Hugo, French poet & playwright
"The sound vibration of the vowel 'U' means 'to carry, carrying light'." - Joseph E. Rael
U can also abbreviate union, united, upper class, upper case, Uruguay