#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# string and word list definitions
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

def scrub(word):
    return word.strip().lower()

def load_word_list(filename='dictionary.txt'):
    word_file = open(filename, 'r')
    word_list = []
    for word in word_file:
        word_list.append( scrub(word) )
    return word_list

def count_words(word_list):
    dict_of_counts = {}
    # initialize counters
    for letter in 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz':
        dict_of_counts[letter] = 0
    # count words
    for word in word_list:
        dict_of_counts[word[0]] += 1
    return dict_of_counts

words  = load_word_list()
counts = count_words(words)

print('The list "counts" contains the number of words by first letter:')
print(counts, end='\n\n')

#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# solution to the exercise
#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

while True:
    letter = input('Enter a letter: ')
    letter = letter.lower()
    if len(letter) == 1 and letter.isalpha():
        break

total_words = sum(counts.values())
percent_for_letter = (counts[letter]/total_words) * 100

print()
print(counts[letter], 'of the words start with', letter + '.')
print('That is {:5.2f}% of all words.'.format(percent_for_letter))
print()