
What is the origin of the letter H?
The letter H may have started as a picture sign of a fence, as in very early Semitic writing used about 1500 bce on the Sinai Peninsula (1). About 1000 bce, in Byblos and other Phoenician and Canaanite centres, the sign was given a linear form (2), the source of all later forms.
What words do you not use initial h in?
Initial /h/ is often not pronounced in the weak form of some function words including had, has, have, he, her, him, his, and in some varieties of English (including most regional dialects of England and Wales) it is often omitted in all words (see '⟨h⟩'-dropping ).
Why is ⟨h⟩ pronounced [h] instead of [F]?
The spelling reflects an earlier pronunciation of the sound /h/. In words where the ⟨h⟩ is derived from a Latin /f/, it is still sometimes pronounced with the value [h] in some regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, Canarias, Cantabria and the Americas.
Which languages use ⟨H⟩?
Some languages, including Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, and Finnish, use ⟨h⟩ as a breathy voiced glottal fricative [ɦ], often as an allophone of otherwise voiceless /h/ in a voiced environment. In Hungarian, the letter has no fewer than five pronunciations, with three additional uses as a productive and non-productive element of digraphs.
What did the letter H mean in the 1500s?
Is H a consonant?
About this website
What role did science play in H.G. Wells’s life?
At age 18, H.G. Wells won a scholarship to study biology at the Normal School of Science in London, where he studied under T.H. Huxley. He graduate...
What did H.G. Wells write?
H.G. Wells was a versatile author. The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, his early publications, were science fiction novels that remain clas...
What was H.G. Wells’s view on human progress?
H.G. Wells was an optimist of a type characteristic of his generation, which was breaking free from Victorian norms. He believed in the doctrine of...
What is the meaning of the letter H?
Specific to the IPA, a hooked ⟨ ɦ ⟩ is used for a voiced glottal fricative, and a superscript ⟨ ʰ ⟩ is used to represent aspiration .
What does the silent H mean in German?
In the German language, the name of the letter is pronounced /haː/. Following a vowel, it often silently indicates that the vowel is long: In the word erhöhen ('heighten'), the second ⟨h⟩ is mute for most speakers outside of Switzerland. In 1901, a spelling reform eliminated the silent ⟨h⟩ in nearly all instances of ⟨th⟩ in native German words such as thun ('to do') or Thür ('door'). It has been left unchanged in words derived from Greek, such as Theater ('theater') and Thron ('throne'), which continue to be spelled with ⟨th⟩ even after the last German spelling reform.
What is the original name of the letter?
Authorities disagree about the history of the letter's name. The Oxford English Dictionary says the original name of the letter was [ˈaha] in Latin; this became [ˈaka] in Vulgar Latin, passed into English via Old French [atʃ], and by Middle English was pronounced [aːtʃ].
What does the letter Heth represent?
The original Semitic letter Heth most likely represented the voiceless pharyngeal fricative ( ħ ). The form of the letter probably stood for a fence or posts. The Greek eta 'Η' in Archaic Greek alphabets, before coming to represent a long vowel, /ɛː/, still represented a similar sound, the voiceless glottal fricative /h/.
When was the H consonant accepted in Basque?
During the standardization of Basque in the 1970s, the compromise was reached that h would be accepted if it were the first consonant in a syllable.
Is h a single letter?
In English, ⟨h⟩ occurs as a single-letter grapheme (being either silent or representing the voiceless glottal fricative ( / h /) and in various digraphs, such as ⟨ch⟩ / tʃ /, / ʃ /, / k /, or / x / ), ⟨gh⟩ (silent, /ɡ/, /k/, /p/, or /f/ ), ⟨ph⟩ ( /f/ ), ⟨rh⟩ ( /r/ ), ⟨sh⟩ ( / ʃ / ), ⟨th⟩ ( / θ / or / ð / ), ⟨wh⟩ ( / hw / ). The letter is silent in a syllable rime, as in ah, ohm, dahlia, cheetah, pooh-poohed, as well as in certain other words (mostly of French origin) such as hour, honest, herb (in American but not British English) and vehicle (in certain varieties of English). Initial /h/ is often not pronounced in the weak form of some function words including had, has, have, he, her, him, his, and in some varieties of English (including most regional dialects of England and Wales) it is often omitted in all words (see '⟨h⟩'-dropping ). It was formerly common for an rather than a to be used as the indefinite article before a word beginning with /h/ in an unstressed syllable, as in "an historian", but use of a is now more usual (see English articles § Indefinite article ). In English, The pronunciation of ⟨h⟩ as /h/ can be analyzed as a voiceless vowel. That is, when the phoneme /h/ precedes a vowel, /h/ may be realized as a voiceless version of the subsequent vowel. For example the word ⟨hit⟩, /hɪt/ is realized as [ɪ̥ɪt]. H is the eighth most frequently used letter in the English language (after S, N, I, O, A, T, and E ), with a frequency of about 4.2% in words. When h is placed after certain other consonants, it modifies their pronunciation in various ways, e.g. for ch, gh, ph, sh and th .
Is a h a letter?
In Irish, ⟨h⟩ is not considered an independent letter, except for a very few non-native words, however ⟨h⟩ placed after a consonant is known as a "séimhiú" and indicates lenition of that consonant; ⟨h⟩ began to replace the original form of a séimhiú, a dot placed above the consonant, after the introduction of typewriters.
What does the initial H mean in chemistry?
The initial hoften disappears in unaccented syllables (e.g., “What did he say?”). In chemistry H is the symbol for the element hydrogen.
What is the Greek form H?
In the early Greek alphabets a form with three horizontal bars and the simpler form H were both widely distributed. In Etruscan the prevailing form was similar to the early Greek form, and the same or a similar form occurs in very early Latin inscriptions, but the form H came into general use in Latin, either from the Chalcidic Greek alphabet ...
What is the eighth letter of the alphabet?
h, eighth letter of the alphabet. It corresponds to Semiticchethand Greeketa(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 Hwere both widely distributed. In Etruscanthe prevailing form was similar to the early Greek form, and the same or a similar form occurs in very early Latininscriptions, but the form Hcame into general use in Latin, either from the Chalcidic Greek alphabetof Cumaeor from some other source. The modern majuscule His derived directly from the Latin. The cursive Latin form resembled a stylized version of the modern minuscule h, as did the uncialform. Both of these forms result from writingthe letter without taking the pen from the paper, the right-hand vertical bar being thus foreshortened and the horizontal stroke rounded. From these came the Carolingianform as well as the modern minuscule h.
Early life
Wells was the son of domestic servants turned small shopkeepers. He grew up under the continual threat of poverty, and at age 14, after a very inadequate education supplemented by his inexhaustible love of reading, he was apprenticed to a draper in Windsor.
Early writings
Wells’s first published book was a Textbook of Biology (1893).
Middle and late works
After about 1906 the pamphleteer and the novelist were in conflict in Wells, and only The History of Mr. Polly and the lighthearted Bealby (1915) can be considered primarily as fiction. His later novels are mainly discussions of social or political themes that show little concern for the novel as a literary form.
How long ago did humans walk into North America?
Some archaeologists remain firm that humans could have walked into North America over land, although some maintain that this route would have been prohibitively ice-covered more than 13,500 years ago .
When did humans walk on the Pacific coast?
Human footprints such as this one, known as Track #17 and digitally enhanced on the right, suggest people were walking along North America’s Pacific Coast 13,000 years ago. (Credit: Duncan McLaren)
Who Was H.H. Holmes?
Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes, was a con artist and bigamist who was one of America's first serial killers. Sometimes referred to as the "Beast of Chicago," Holmes is believed to have killed somewhere between 20 and 200 people. He killed many of his victims in a specially constructed home, which was later nicknamed the "Murder Castle." Apprehended in 1894, he was hanged for his crimes two years later.
What was Holmes's home during the 1893 Columbian Exposition?
During the 1893 Columbian Exposition, Holmes opened up his home as a hotel for visitors. Unfortunately, many guests did not survive in what became known as the "Murder Castle.". Many of these victims — no one knows for certain the total number — were women who were seduced, swindled and then killed.
Who is Hugh Auden?
Wystan Hugh Auden ( / ˈwɪstən ˈhjuː ˈɔːdən /; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was an Anglo-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in tone, form, and content. Some of his best known poems are about love, ...
How long did Auden and Isherwood have a relationship?
Auden and Isherwood maintained a lasting but intermittent sexual friendship from around 1927 to 1939, while both had briefer but more intense relations with other men. In 1939, Auden fell in love with Chester Kallman and regarded their relationship as a marriage, but this ended in 1941 when Kallman refused to accept the faithful relations that Auden demanded. However, the two maintained their friendship, and from 1947 until Auden's death they lived in the same house or apartment in a non-sexual relationship, often collaborating on opera libretti such as that of The Rake's Progress, to music by Igor Stravinsky .
Who was Auden introduced to?
Auden was reintroduced to Christopher Isherwood in 1925 by his fellow student A. S. T. Fisher. For the next few years Auden sent poems to Isherwood for comments and criticism; the two maintained a sexual friendship in intervals between their relations with others. In 1935–39 they collaborated on three plays and a travel book.
Where did Auden and Isherwood live?
Auden and Isherwood sailed to New York City in January 1939, entering on temporary visas. Their departure from Britain was later seen by many as a betrayal, and Auden's reputation suffered. In April 1939, Isherwood moved to California, and he and Auden saw each other only intermittently in later years. Around this time, Auden met the poet Chester Kallman, who became his lover for the next two years (Auden described their relation as a "marriage" that began with a cross-country "honeymoon" journey).
What did the letter H mean in the 1500s?
The word originally entered the language from French as autour, but around the 1500s, scribes started inserting the h and changed it into author.
Is H a consonant?
Statistically speaking, it is the eighth most commonly used letter in the English language. That’s because H is usually paired with other consonants like wh, ch, sh, and gh.

Overview
H, or h, is the eighth letter in the ISO basic Latin alphabet. Its name in English is aitch , or regionally haitch /ˈheɪtʃ/.
History
The original Semitic letter Heth most likely represented the voiceless pharyngeal fricative (ħ). The form of the letter probably stood for a fence or posts.
The Greek Eta 'Η' in archaic Greek alphabets, before coming to represent a long vowel, /ɛː/, still represented a similar sound, the voiceless glottal fricative /h/. In this context, the letter eta is also known as Heta to underline this fact. Thus, in the Old Italic alphabets, the letter Heta of the Euboe…
Name in English
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. It is, however, a feature of Hiberno-English, as well as scattered varieties of Edinburgh, England, and Welsh English, and in Australia and Nova Scotia.
Use in writing systems
In English, ⟨h⟩ occurs as a single-letter grapheme (being either silent or representing the voiceless glottal fricative (/h/) and in various digraphs, such as ⟨ch⟩ /tʃ/, /ʃ/, /k/, or /x/), ⟨gh⟩ (silent, /ɡ/, /k/, /p/, or /f/), ⟨ph⟩ (/f/), ⟨rh⟩ (/r/), ⟨sh⟩ (/ʃ/), ⟨th⟩ (/θ/ or /ð/), ⟨wh⟩ (/hw/ ). The letter is silent in a syllable rime, as in ah, ohm, dahlia, cheetah, pooh-poohed, as well as in certain other words (mostly of French origin) such as hour, honest, herb (in American but not British English) and vehicle (in certain varie…
Related characters
• H with diacritics: Ĥ ĥ Ȟ ȟ Ħ ħ Ḩ ḩ Ⱨ ⱨ ẖ ẖ Ḥ ḥ Ḣ ḣ Ḧ ḧ Ḫ ḫ ꞕ Ꜧ ꜧ
• IPA-specific symbols related to H: ʜ ꟸ ɦ ʰ ʱ ɥ ᶣ
• ᴴ : Modifier letter H is used in the Uralic Phonetic Alphabet
• ₕ : Subscript small h was used in the Uralic Phonetic Alphabet prior to its formal standardization in 1902
See also
• American Sign Language grammar
• List of Egyptian hieroglyphs#H
External links
• The dictionary definition of H at Wiktionary
• The dictionary definition of h at Wiktionary
• Lubliner, Coby. 2008. "The Story of H." (essay on origins and uses of the letter "h")