Initial Letter
by Garrett Grimm · Uncategorized
Also makes 7 other plugins · 101.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Initial Letter is a plugin that adds style options so you can change the size, color, and font of the first letter of each or all post paragraphs.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 44/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
100+
≈180 estimated
Momentum
+36%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “drop caps”, “initial” and “letter” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.7%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 14.1K lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,781 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 5+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.6.23, well behind 7.1.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2130 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.6.23; the current branch is 7.1
3.9★ over 12 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2130 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| drop caps your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| initial your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| letter your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| style your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| typography your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “drop caps”, “initial” and “letter” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 124 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
5.8y ago
latest release · v2.3 · 3 Jan 2021
8
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 200.
Install history since 16 Oct 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ aceofjames4.1y ago
I’d give this plugin a 5 especially since all others are pretty bad and or just don’t work. The problem with Initial Letter is that even when you check the box “First Paragraph Only” it shows up on EVERY paragraph. Does anyone have any insight on how to fix this? Thank you in advance, James P. Williams AceOfJames This topic was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by aceofjames.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ americanpigeon5.0y ago
Was working okay, until the plugin was unresponsive. The default (whether or not you want the initial letter in every post to be a drop cap) underneath each post is switched to “Yes.” While this doesn’t affect all the posts it affected one of the pages, so that even upon trying to switch it off manually, the plugin stayed on. This was unacceptable. Two stars because it works. But doesn’t work as optimally as it should. This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by americanpigeon.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Silhouettist5.3y ago
Works brilliantly with the Gutenberg editor and much better than the limited “drop cap” option that ships with Gutenberg. Please update to get rid of the “not tested with current WP version” message. Either that or sell it to Gutenberg who should really offer these settings as part of the package. Update 4 years later: App still works well. Would be happy to donate but the maker seems to have forgotten to keep updating it. This topic was modified 7 months, 1 week ago by Silhouettist. Reason: Time has passed
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ AsaHersh5.3y ago
1. Cannot edit for individual posts. 2. Will show on every first block of text, not every page!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ marcomassimo6.2y ago
Very well
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Elvis19739.1y ago
I have tried about three plugins that say they do drop caps but most were incompatible with my site or didn’t work at all. This plugin does the job, looks great and is very simple to install. A+++
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ trevorNanders11.6y ago
Installed it on my site (WordPress 4.1.1) using Blue Mag theme and it works really well. Very nice plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zepolo13.1y ago
I’am agree, it would work only for the FIRST paragraph of the blog and not every one.
Read on wp.org ↗
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Initial Letter is a plugin that adds style options so you can change the size, color, and font of the first..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 318 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "drop caps", "typography" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-31 200+ → 100+ down after 24 days in tier
- 2026-08-07 100+ → 200+ up after 25 days in tier
- 2026-07-13 200+ → 100+ down after 1682 days in tier
- 2021-12-04 100+ → 200+ up
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Bukvycja 20+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D -
Leira Letter Avatar 6K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags B - П По български 30+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
-
Zalomení 6K+ installs · 4.5★ · 1 shared tag A -
Letter Avatars 200+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag D - L Letter Template 10+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Initial Letter into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/initial-letter" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Initial Letter — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Initial Letter: 100+ active installs, 3.9★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/initial-letter
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