Is the letter H pronounced aitch or Haitch?

H, or h, is the eighth letter in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. Its name in English is aitch (pronounced /ˈeɪtʃ/, plural aitches), or regionally haitch /ˈheɪtʃ/.

Why do British people say Haitch instead of H?

The pronunciation "haitch" is just adding a [h] sound back to "aitch" because most letters start with their sound. French added the "ch" because the original name of the letter H /ha/ lost its H in French and became identical to A /a/!

Should it be aitch or Haitch?

First, you won't find 'haitch' in the dictionary, only the correct spelling aitch. The name of the letter comes from Old French ache of the 1500s and first spelt so in English, when it was related to the Old English word ache, from æce. At this time it was pronounced "ache" or "aitch".

Why do Catholics pronounce H Haitch?

One theory goes that it's because the “haitch” pronunciation was associated with Irish Catholic immigrants who came here. Because they were typically working-class and associated with a lower level of education, this pronunciation was thus deemed of “lower quality”.

Why do Americans say H differently?

Our American cousins seem sometimes to arbitrarily decide that they shall pronounce a word in the French style even if it has been an English word for nearly a thousand years. Thus they leave the "h" silent in herb, just as the French do.

Say letter H - #aitch vs #haitch H pronunciation

How is H pronounced in Ireland?

The oddly named letter H is usually pronounced 'aitch' /eɪtʃ/ in British English, but in Ireland we tend to aspirate it as 'haitch' /heɪtʃ/. This haitching is a distinctive feature of Hiberno-English, one that may have originated as an a hypercorrection but is now the norm in most Irish dialects.

Is Haitch incorrect?

'Haitch' (the thinking goes) has no place in proper Australian English: it's a feature of some varieties of Irish English, was brought to Australia by Irish Catholic educators in the mid-19th and early-20th centuries, and serves as a marker of Irish Catholic education.

Why do British people say zed?

English speakers in other Commonwealth countries also prefer the pronunciation zed. As zed is the British pronunciation and zee is chiefly American, zed represents one of the rare occasions in which most Canadians prefer the British to the American pronunciation.

Why do Americans call them ERBS?

Answer: The Americans have picked this up from Norman- French. "Herb" is a word that would have been very commonly used by the French, so that is why it would have stuck, as oppose to other words in the American dialect such as "helicopter."

Is the H in exhausted silent?

heir /ɛə/ UK, /ɛr/ US; a person who inherits something from someone else. It comes from Old French, so the “H” remains silent; it sounds exactly the same as “air” and “ere” (meaning “before long”). exhausted /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪd/ (ig-zaw-stid); notice also that “x” at the beginning is pronounced as “gz”, not as “ks”.

How do you pronounce the name Saoirse?

Saoirse is pronounced “Sur-sha.” The actress is aware of the difficulty her name creates for people, and she sympathizes with those who fumble over it.

How do you pronounce gyro?

That gyro has two main pronunciations: /YEE-roh/ and /ZHIHR-oh/. The sandwich gyro was borrowed into English from Modern Greek in the 1970s and English speakers have given it an approximation of the Greek pronunciation. The earlier gyro has been fully phonetically anglicized.

Where did the letter H come from?

h, eighth letter of the alphabet. It corresponds to Semitic cheth and Greek eta (Η). It may derive from an early symbol for fence. In the early Greek alphabets a form with three horizontal bars and the simpler form H were both widely distributed.

Is it zed or zee in Australia?

In most English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the letter's name is zed /zɛd/, reflecting its derivation from the Greek zeta (this dates to Latin, which borrowed Y and Z from Greek), but in American English its name is zee /ziː/, analogous to the ...

Is H silent in Irish?

Gaelic has only eighteen letters in its alphabet, so no J, K, Q, V, W, X, Y or Z. A consonant + H denotes a completely different sound to the same consonant without an H following it. Gaelic has a system of broad vowels (A, O, U) and slender vowels (E, I).

How do you pronounce the name Siobhan?

Pronounce the "Sio" portion of the name as "Shi" with a soft "ih" sound. Pronounce the "bhan" portion of the name as "vawn." "Vawn" should be pronounced to rhyme with "lawn" or "gone." Combine both syllables of the name to pronounce "Siobhan" as "Shi-vawn."

How do you say GH in Irish?

Why do some people not pronounce the h?

H-dropping or aitch-dropping is the deletion of the voiceless glottal fricative or "H-sound", [h]. The phenomenon is common in many dialects of English, and is also found in certain other languages, either as a purely historical development or as a contemporary difference between dialects.

Why do people not pronounce the h in Humble?

The rule explaining the different pronunciations of a history versus an historical is that in unaccented syllables the H is dropped. However, in today's word the H appears in an accented syllable, so it should be pronounced. Still, if you are from the US South, you may pronounce today's word umble.

Should you pronounce the h in Herbs?

The British pronunciation is "Herbs" with an "H" while American pronunciation is "erbs" without the "H." Quite simple, eh? Just like this simple vinaigrette recipe to go with your herb salad. "Herb" or "erb," it's really your choice. Hallelujah for democracy.