Algebra is often introduced as arithmetic done with letters. In this article, we follow this analogy and see where it takes us. We ask questions such as: If "SNAPE = SNAKE", can we conclude that "P = K"? Here is the spoiler: the path takes us into what mathematicians call group theory, a subfield of algebra that studies symmetry, and allows us to say interesting things about various languages like English and Swedish (and one very important fact about algebra itself).