Initial Letter
Initial Letter is a plugin that adds style options so you can change the size, color, and font of the first letter of each paragraph within a post. Also known as “drop cap”. You can add/remove this functionality on a…
Consider an alternative
Initial Letter shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 3.9/5 and was last updated 6 years ago, and scores 33/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (100+ active installs)
- No update in 5 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.6 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & supportDaily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Initial Letter stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| drop caps | >100 |
| initial | >100 |
| letter | >100 |
| style | >100 |
| typography | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 3.9 from 12 reviews
About Initial Letter
From the official readme · v2.3Description
Initial Letter is a plugin that adds style options so you can change the size, color, and font of the first letter of each paragraph within a post. Also known as “drop cap”. You can add/remove this functionality on a per post basis the meta box in the post editor.
To do: Add option for custom Google Fonts
Installation
Installation
- Upload the whole
initial-letterfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
- Style the initial letter from Settings > Initial Letter
Changelog
2.3
- Fix some warnings.
- Update screenshots.
- Ensure support for latest WordPress version.
2.2
- Fix issue where $this cannot be used in anonymous function in < PHP 5.4
2.1
- Fix PHP warning.
- Default settings on fresh plugin install.
2.0
- Move plugin to single php class.
- Add ability to add/remove per post.
- More accurate application of initial letter.
1.3
- Updates for better display and usage.
- Ability to match font on post.
- Added more font options.
- Font size up to 100px.
- Added padding right option to help dial in spacing.
1.2
Now the if ‘First Paragraph Only’ is selected the plugin will apply to the first paragraph with text. In previous releases if the first paragraph was empty or was and html element the style would not show.
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Initial Letter alternatives
All drop caps plugins →| Rank | Plugin | Active installs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dropcaps Shortcode and Widget
Create Dropcaps. Nice and easy interface. Insert anywhere in your site - page/post editor…
|
200+ |
| 3 |
Bukvycja
The Bukvycja plugin adds drop caps to your posts, pages and comments. It comes with some…
|
20+ |
FAQ
Initial Letter: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 7, 2026
Is Initial Letter free?
Yes. Initial Letter is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Initial Letter safe to use in 2026?
Initial Letter shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 3.9/5 and was last updated 6 years ago, and scores 33/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Initial Letter?
Initial Letter is active on 100+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 13,988 times since it launched in December 2012. It was downloaded 99 times in the last 30 days.
Does Initial Letter work with WordPress 7.1?
Initial Letter is officially tested up to WordPress 5.6.22, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Initial Letter last updated?
The latest version, 2.3, was released on January 3, 2021 (6 years ago).
Who makes Initial Letter?
Initial Letter is developed and maintained by Garrett Grimm.
What are the best alternatives to Initial Letter?
The most popular alternatives to Initial Letter are Dropcaps Shortcode and Widg… (200+ installs) and Bukvycja (20+ installs).
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