Do you pronounce “h” as haitch or aitch?

27 comments

1. Aitch, there’s no h for the. I’ve never thought about writing it that way though lol

2. Almost all Americans say “aitch.” The pronunciation “haitch” only exists in some parts of England and Ireland, and overall it’s a minority pronunciation.

   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/H

3. Aitch

4. There’s a scene in *The Wire* where the mayor of Baltimore, played by an Irish actor, plays Battleship and picks the square “Haitch-4.”

   It seems like someone on set should have caught that.

5. I prefer “hayoooootch”, in the voice of Snoop Dogg.

6. How do you pronounce it, OP?

7. aitch

   In American English, “an herb.” British: “a herb.”

   But American English: “a historical.” British (sometimes): “an historical.”

   Hs are weird. But then most voiceless glottal fricatives are.

8. aitch for me.

9. Aitch 👍

10. Americans who learned English primarily from other Americans will say aitch. Haitch is typically associated with England and Ireland.

    As someone to whom the former applies to, I’ve always thought it was a bit odd that the way American English speakers pronounce H has nothing to do with the actual letter sound, whereas all the other letters in the alphabet are said using the sound it makes somewhere in there. I e (D is pronounced like Dee or Duh if you’re doing phonics)

11. It’s closer to aytch for me. I think. I said all of them out loud so many times that they all sound weird now.

12. Eight-ch. So, the latter.

13. I’ve only ever heard haitch in Ireland. Welsh and Western English people might do it too.

14. Kansas here. Definitely aitch.

15. Aitch.

16. Aitch, and I’ve never heard any other US American pronounce it “haitch”

17. There is no h in h

18. Aitch, not the british rapper though

19. Aitch

20. WUT I’ve never seen those words?

21. More like eight-ch for me.

22. Eighch

23. The second one, though that spelling makes me uncomfortable

24. Aitch. My wife is English and says “aitch” in person but “haitch” when spelling something on the phone, and I take psychic damage every time I hear it.

25. Aitch.

26. The latter. I don’t know I’ve ever heard otherwise.

27. Aitch, and zee not zed