Is H pronounced aitch or Haitch?

For most English speakers, the name for the letter is pronounced as /eɪtʃ/ and spelled "aitch" or occasionally "eitch". The pronunciation /heɪtʃ/ and the associated spelling "haitch" is often considered to be h-adding and is considered nonstandard in England.

Is it wrong to pronounce H Haitch?

In a 1944 session of Australian Parliament, then-Senate president Gordon Brown said he had heard various members of Parliament pronounce H as 'haitch'. 'Whereas its proper pronunciation,' Brown opined, 'is aitch.

Which is correct 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 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/!

Why is aitch pronounced as Haitch?

In imitation of the French, the English name is commonly aitch, but this means the name does not contain the sound of the letter. Those who pronounce the word as haitch and spell it accordingly as haitch, are in a sense restoring its original purpose.

Say letter H - #aitch vs #haitch H pronunciation

How do you pronounce Haitch?

Its name in English is aitch (pronounced /ˈeɪtʃ/, plural aitches), or regionally haitch /ˈheɪtʃ/.

Do Americans say Aitch?

America has perhaps hung on to its aitchless herb because it has less class anxiety attached to pronunciations. However, the link between class, voice and status is not what it once was. Many of us are barely aware of how we say says or ate or what was once considered the right and proper way.

Is there such a word as Haitch?

Haitch has the pedigree

Deriving from medieval French hache or “axe” (hatchet and hashtag are relatives), it also arrived in English H-less (like humble and herb).

How is H pronounced in Northern Ireland?

In Northern Ireland the Catholic population is distinguished from the Protestant by the former saying 'haitch' and the latter 'aitch'. 'Haitch' is the way Catholic primary schools teach H in the alphabet and therefore may well have Papal authority as correct!

Is the H silent in Anthony?

The H is silent. Anthony comes from Antonio / Antoninus. The H was added to make it look right in English but the H was always silent.

Why do some people not pronounce the letter 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 H is the most contentious letter in the alphabet?

Debates about power and class surround every letter, and H is the most contentious of all. No other letter has had such power to divide people into opposing camps. In Britain, H owes its name to the Normans, who brought their letter "hache" with them in 1066.

Why do British say Zed?

The British and others pronounce “z”, “zed”, owing to the origin of the letter “z”, the Greek letter “Zeta”. This gave rise to the Old French “zede”, which resulted in the English “zed” around the 15th century.

How do you pronounce the sound H?

To create the h sound, the deep back of the tongue slightly constricts within the throat. The upper/front part of the tongue as well as the lips will often move into the shape of surrounding sounds at the same time as the h sound is being produced.

Is the letter H silent in English?

Silent H. H is always silent in HONOUR, HOUR, HONEST, HEIR, VEHICLE & VEHEMENT. You don't say it after 'g' in GHOST, GHASTLY, AGHAST, GHERKIN & GHETTO, or after 'r' in RHINOCEROS, RHUBARB, RHYME and RHYTHM. It's normally silent after 'w': WHAT?

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. “Yes, I am very Irish, and I have an extremely Irish name. Some would say too Irish,” she said on Saturday Night Live in 2017.

How do you say Anthony in British?

The spelling "Anthony" is the usual one in the UK, though the "th" is usually pronounced as a "t". Agreed, but the *surname* "Anthony" (apparently not uncommon in Wales) is pronounced with "th" by the only person I know ... and perhaps "Antony" never appears in A&C.)

How do the Irish pronounce Anthony?

Anthony in Irish is Antóin.

Why do English say Antony?

Anthony is the English form of the Roman family name Antonius, which is of unknown Etruscan origin. Up until the 17th century, the English form was spelled and pronounced Antony.

How do Irish Catholics pronounce H?

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.

Does Herb have a silent H?

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.

Is there a letter H in Irish language?

The Irish alphabet doesn't actually contain the letter H, even though it appears constantly in modern Irish spelling! The H is used to denote a special effect called lenition -- which is really a fancy way of talking about aspiration of consonants.