H

In the International Phonetic Alphabet, this symbol is used to represent two sounds. Its lowercase form, {{IPA|}}, represents the voiceless glottal fricative, and its small capital form, {{IPA|}}, represents the voiceless epiglottal fricative.

Usage in English

In reference, it is spelled aitch (or sometimes haitch by speakers of dialects—primarily Irish and Australian English—which pronounce an h in the name of the letter itself). The English name aitch {{IPA|/eɪtʃ/}} or haitch {{IPA|/heɪtʃ/}} derives from Old French {{IPA|/atʃ/}} > Middle English {{IPA|/a:tʃ/}}; {{IPA|/heɪtʃ/}} is thus a spelling pronunciation based on the sound usually associated with the English letter. Some dialects of English drop /h/ and instead include a glottal stop.

Related Topics:
Irish - Australian English - Glottal stop

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