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Can you please tell which one is correct: letter "y," a letter "y," or the letter "y" in the context below?

If you agree with the statements, just put letter "y" in the checkboxes.

If you agree with the statements, just put a letter "y" in the checkboxes.

If you agree with the statements, just put the letter "y" in the checkboxes.

I haven't been able to find an answer on the internet to this question. Are all of them correct and whether to use one or the others comes down to personal style? Are there context where you would use one, but not the others?

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    I find the second one the most idiomatic. We would use 'the letter 'y'' when referring to it as a letter (how it is formed, for example).
    – Kate Bunting
    Oct 31, 2022 at 12:29
  • "a" or "the" seem fine to me. I don't know if anyone would have a problem with using singular "a letter" with the plural "checkboxes", but you could use "in each checkbox" instead. The other option is easily understandable and that sort of abbreviated style is common in instructions.
    – Stuart F
    Oct 31, 2022 at 12:38
  • Just write "Y".
    – James K
    Dec 3, 2022 at 17:42

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"If you agree with the statements, just put a letter "y" in the checkboxes."

"If you agree with the statements, just put the letter "y" in the checkboxes."

These two are closest to correct, but 'a' or 'the' are not correct if you say 'checkboxes'. It would imply that you are putting one letter 'y' in multiple boxes, which is impossible (on a computer, at least).

Better is something along the lines of:

"If you agree with the statements, just put a letter "y" in each of the appropriate the checkboxes."

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