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1566 T. Stapleton Returne Vntruthes Jewelles Replie iv. f. 56^v You knowe your selfe right well that all the editions of Paris print, do reade those Very wordes in that very sorte, letter for letter, and sillable for sillable, as you haue in this place put them, and as you saie D. Harding hath altered them.

1631 E. Reynolds Three Treat. iii. 400 Of his fulnesse wee receive Grace for Grace, that is, as a Childe in generation receiveth from his Parents member for member, or the paper from the Presse letter for letter.

1663 Marquis of Worcester Cent. Names & Scantlings Inventions iv. 6 Never clogging the memory with several figures for words..which with ease and void of confusion, are thus speedily..letter for letter set down.

1780 Mirror No. 89. 130 He believed he owed almost all his business..to an advertisement in the news-papers interlarded with French words. It began thus; for I copied it letter for letter.

1861 M. Arnold On translating Homer 78 The real question is this—whether our living apprehension of the Greek world is more checked by meeting in an English book about the Greeks, names not spelt letter for letter as in the original Greek, or by meeting names which make us rub our eyes and call out, ‘How exceedingly odd!’

1890 Nation (N.Y.) 24 Apr. 338/2 The editing has been done with great care, the MS. being followed almost letter for letter, with the few corrections made noted at the foot of the page.

1949 Boys' Life Mar. 8/2 When the answer comes back, the Signaler reads it and indicates it letter for letter to the Scribe.

1989 A. Wilentz Rainy Season (1990) vi. 190 They were reading it letter for letter in transliterated English from the leaflets they were distributing to the illiterate commercantes.

2008 C. Stanley Handbk. for Christian Living 166 I can see why the scribes would copy letter for letter. It is so easy to leave out a letter here and a letter there when we think in words.