Poll: I pronounce the letter 'H'...

Comments:

mark purssell - 27th September 2007 10:08

I find that people who mispronounce the letter H actually think they are correct and that they think the 'aitch' pronunciation is a slang version.

a guy - 6th January 2008 13:13

H is the eighth letter in the Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled aitch in most dialects, though in Irish, Indian and British English[citation needed] it is generally haitch

Jane - 1st April 2008 18:36

The correct way I was taught & my Mum says (who was a head teacher - now 78) - also the Queen says 'aitch' I think the problem comes from recent education when the children are taught the 'phoneme' way of pronouncing letters.... 'huh' for house... so then they say 'haitch' instead... However it may also be a regional dialect thing!! My Mum was from Yorks, at work the guys are from SW England say 'haitch' I am always correcting my 9yr old twins to say 'aitch' but they swear I am wrong! Hey Ho!!

Laura Hancock - 11th November 2008 08:47

It drives me absolutely mad and I agree with Mark, when it is mispronounced they do actually think that 'haitch' is correct. My blood runs cold every time I hear it.

Amy - 29th November 2008 18:26

I hate it when people pronounce H with haitch! It drives me mad! It's aitch! Whenever someone says it to me, for example when spelling something, I always repeat it back correctly!

Toby Bartlett - 2nd December 2008 20:42

my friend Charlie and I one day said to each other that if we hear anyone ever say 'haitch' we would correct, under any circumstances and regardless of our pedantry. We are 13 years old and I think people should know by now it is 'aitch'.

Jan Bell - 9th January 2009 07:06

The way I teach my students is to tell them that you don;t pronounce the letter 'm' - 'mem, nor 's' - 'sess', and so on through the rest of the alphabet - so why should you pronounce 'h' as 'haitch'? I refused to allow 'haitch' in my classrooms because I couldn't stand it!

Karen Bennett - 28th April 2009 17:57

I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW IF BOTH ARE ACTUALLY CORRECT.

Tony - 30th April 2009 01:59

Apparently if you say "haitch" in Australia, it indicates a likelihood that you were educated in a Catholic school. Considering that a Catholic education is associated with bigotry and ignorance, most educated Australians prefer to say "aitch."

Ben - 26th May 2009 00:29

I would disagree with the statement related to Australia above, in fact consider it plain wrong! I was educated in a Catholic school in Australia, and taught to say 'aitch'. Me thinks previous a bitter lapsed RC

Robert Warrington - 17th August 2009 09:17

Well, each person is unique, so imagine if everyone said every thing with the same accent (it would be awfully dull). Any how, I had best run off, nanny is calling.

Simon Romin - 6th October 2009 23:24

Lads - let's face it - it's pronounced 'haitch'.

Kideso - 19th October 2009 17:35

i came on this site as i was disturbed - having had a conversation with my son as soon as he could learn to talk (he is now 6 and just started year 2). - he informed me that his teacher told him he is pronouncing it wrong and it should be haitch!! lol - i will be writing a letter....

Sam Nighthawk - 1st December 2009 14:22

You are all ridiculous and it is pronounced 'aitch'. Contrary to popular belief, 'aitch' is the correct pronunciation of the mighty letter 'h' By the way kiss RULEZ!

Tom - 26th February 2010 20:24

What's 'incorrect' pronunciation? This is English we're talking about, the global language. I think when it comes to English (and especially English people) there is a terrible amount of language arrogance. In RP it is pronounced 'aitch'. That's not to say it isn't pronounced 'haitch' in other accents. That one is considered 'correct' and another 'incorrect' says more about the critics arrogance than anything else

Beeswax - 7th March 2010 01:42

I'm of English/Irish decent. I like the 'haitch'.

rob mack - 8th April 2010 02:46

quite simple people, let's stop being ingorant, if it's spelt "aitch", then that's the correct pronunciation too

Laraby Yates - 26th May 2010 02:58

Aitch!!!! for me (6th generation Australian). I work in tv and High Definition is- "Aitch Dee"!! an HD signal not a HD Haitch is for the uneducated. Don't be tricked into saying it just because you're hearing it more often. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H

Deborah Cameron - 2nd June 2010 12:33

I found this poll while looking for something to educate my colleagues who continually mispronounce H as Haitch. It's actually disappointing to see so many people are not only pronouncing it wrongly but are also ignorant enough to try to persuade others that they are correct. Check out the English dictionary, it's Aitch, without a shred of doubt!

mike - 25th June 2010 22:49

"H" is spelled "aitch" and should be pronounced in this way. Most people who pronounce it "haitch" tend to drop their aitches in normal converstaion!

MP - 5th July 2010 08:27

I'm Australian and I pronounce it 'Aitch'. However when I say HD (high Definition) I tend to say 'Haitch Dee'

jason NI/UK - 3rd August 2010 13:38

It's "Aitch" any thing less is destroying the English language. Come to Belfast and play the "H" game, its great fun.

frugging - 30th August 2010 02:06

i say Haitch. Im australian. I pronounce H in words two seperate ways. H strongly in words such as how, he, hero. and softly as in honour, hour etc. I think "aitch" is the pronounciation of the softer H as it was originally used to teach the sound of the letter. the standardization of spelling happened a few hundred years ago and someone decided "aitch". alot of english accents pronounce all H sounds softly maybe thats why.

Grant - 3rd September 2010 18:46

"Aitch" is correct Oxford English. "Haitch" is more recent slang. The latter irritates me no end.

Katie Howe - 11th September 2010 11:59

Nothing irritates me more than people who pronounce it "haitch".... I have to confess however I was guilty of doing it until my lovely boyfriend politely corrected me.

alka singh - 18th September 2010 07:43

Hi work in a corporate sector and usually find people pronounce “H” as Haitch not as Atich which I feel is not correct, since school time we are been using Aitch (H), so is there a way can educate people or according to the English language Haitch is correct.

James - 1st October 2010 05:06

I have always pronounced it "aitch". Let's not forget language is always evolving. Americans say & spell "Mum" differently. I don't think this really matters. I can see that saying "haitch" makes it logical and easy to teach people to read English. In saying this it annoys me when people pronounce the word "kilometre" incorrectly.

Liz - 21st October 2010 08:04

I say 'haitch' and I think it sounds better that way. That was the way I was taught by both my parents and my teaches so that is the way I will say it. I'm from Australia and educated in a public primary school - not Catholic.

Dolce Edallineare - 23rd October 2010 20:44

I like it. I think I'll take it up

Dolce Edallineare - 24th October 2010 17:50

In fact, I think I'll start pronouncing W as "Wouble-U"

Eileenr - 12th November 2010 20:36

I was raised in England/Ireland and both me and my family have always said "haitch". Now i live in the U.S. where everyone says "aitch" . I say get over yourselves!

Ally B - 14th November 2010 17:10

I googled it as I was wondering if I was saying "h" incorrectly Its funny it seems to be so controversial To me it doesn't matter whether you say "aitch" or "haitch" I know you mean "h" but I can understand how it may annoy some people I dont like it when the t is pronounced in often - its silent! I''m Aussie, my parents are Aussie my dad sells electronics including televisions and he says "haitch-d" my mum says "aitch" I say "haitch" I was taught in a Catholic school I remember different teachers saying it either way I also pronounce "z" as "zee" whereas others say "zed" mum blames Sesame Street maybe its all their fault and as far as im concerned my question is unanswered

Meg Laws - 5th December 2010 04:22

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of 1964 gives the spelling the letter H as "ache" or "aitch" - when I was teaching it used to really annoy me when children (and some teachers) said "haitch". I'm 71 years old and when I was a child only children from the Catholic Schools said "haitch" - we knew where they went to school by this!

John - 8th December 2010 00:57

''H'' can only be pronounced one and that is ''AITCH''. The impression that is given by anyone pronouncing H as ''HAITCH'' is one of lack of education (rightly or wrongly). Surely everyone has access to a dictionary! But then I'm assuming everyone can read. I feel that all the TV companies should lead the way any ensure that standards of spoken English are maintained.

Andrea - 13th January 2011 17:56

I am Canadian and I say aitch. From the time I was a kid it drove and still drives me nuts when someone says "haitch" There is even radio talk show host who say "haitch" on the air - drives me wacko!

Ted Emmet - 1st February 2011 21:48

H is a mysterious letter --the working class were told not to drop there H's but the middle class would say an 'otel. The correct version is aitch but there we go --ignorance is bliss

Amanda - 27th February 2011 11:47

I find it odd that this conversation is even happening its a letter, how can people get mad over pronunciation of the letter H. Unbeleivable lol

Edward Lawrence - 28th February 2011 15:31

Languages that are alive evolve. English is a 'live' language but variations in pronunciations exist. Time and the majority will decide which variations are considered correct, not some 'Higher Authority'. Latin is a dead language and should be eliminated where exact and shorter equivalents exist.

Simon - 12th March 2011 20:18

If it's AITCH in the dictionary, it's AITCH in pronunciation, there is no alternative and it drives me freaking crazy!!

Debs27 - 23rd March 2011 12:03

Always aitch, NEVER haitch

Isabel - 30th March 2011 22:03

It is definitely 'aitch'. Standards are incredibly low if children are being taught 'haitch'. What makes it worse that make actually think they're correct! If people refer to the national health service as the 'En Aitch Ess' why can't they just pronounce the letter singly on its own like that? I hope the letter H never ever becomes acceptable to be pronounced as 'haitch'.

Georgie - 10th May 2011 08:34

There's an old story that when the British army came to Northern Ireland in the 70s, they weren't able to tell the unionists from the nationalists. So when they stopped and searched anyone, they'd get them to recite the alphabet - an 'aitch' meant they were questioning a unionist, a 'haitch' meant they had a nationalist. Growing up in Ireland, I learned to be very wary of the eighth letter of the alphabet, it can give away a lot of information about you!

Tammins - 29th May 2011 22:31

I'm sorry to be picky but I believe it to be 'aitch'... My partner says 'haitch' and it makes me want to scream! Sometimes I will ignore until the fact that I'm annoyed at it is picked up...Other times I will correct and force him to repeat it back to me correctly :)

Sel - 3rd June 2011 13:59

This is stupid, some people say 'aitch' some people say 'haitch', deal with it.

Zi Yue - 8th June 2011 05:42

Hate those people who say 'aitch'.... But I keep on saying 'haitch'.... My sis say: "IS 'AITCH', NOT 'HAITCH', MY TEACHER SAY ONE HOR....."

Claire - 6th July 2011 09:23

I think it is quite amusing that people get so angry about the mispronunciation of a letter.

OooliveR - 3rd September 2011 21:13

I'm sorry to break it to you but Haitch sounds stupid!

jacqui - 14th September 2011 18:32

We have just had a friendly "argument" with my Mother-In-Law, as she told us we should say"Aitch d--instead od Haitch d! We thought her wrong. Just looked it up on the Internet, and yes-she was right. But who cares! I will NEVER drop my Hs. I had Elecution lessons, when i was young, and this is a first for me. They say you live & learn.

t jay - 16th September 2011 06:44

None of you guys eva gon get it correct,coz everybody pronounce it either way they feel its correct,thus 2 me no one is the master of pronounsation bt therez a correct way of pronouncing it,which is "haitch",I mean on the contrary it starts wit the letter "H" not the letter "A",so get ur facts straight peepz.#enuf said#

Jane - 6th October 2011 20:50

Ignorant people say Haitch. IT IS AITCH!!!

Roger - 19th October 2011 09:24

I'm English-born but have lived in Australia for over 50 years. 'Haitch' has taken Australia by storm. Its origin here seems to be Irish, doubtless due to the fact that a lot of the convicts sent here for serious crimes like stealing bread to feed starving children were Irish Catholics. South Australia, which was never a penal colony, tends to be an 'aitch' area. The unaspirated pronunciation (aitch) goes back to Middle English, which petered out in about 1460. Haitch used to be virtually unknown in England but there are estimates of about 24% usage in the UK now. I hate it!!

leah fletcher - 6th November 2011 00:42

Right, it's 'Haitch' okay lads, stop arguing it's stupid.

D Mackay - 11th November 2011 12:06

As an ancient Scot who loves the English language and hates ghastly words which are actually now in the dictionary, I KNOW that aitch is correct.

Jean-Jacques - 22nd November 2011 09:38

To Amanda who wonders what all the fuss is about, I'd say imagine if people insist on calling you Hamanda. Words do matter, like that pilot who decided he'd call East, "West" and North, "South", it made his passengers nervous.

Jean-Jacques - 22nd November 2011 09:45

One other thing worth noting, especially for scrabble players, is that the Chambers OSW (Official Scrabble Words) Dictionary does NOT list Haitch as a word, so even if you care to say it, it is NOT allowable in scrabble. So to all those ignoramuses, say it if you like, but don't put it down on the board - its a non-word.

Jack - 5th December 2011 08:27

Basically I had a massive argument with my university flatmates on this subject and they all are convinced haitch. I actually wanted to pick up a table and chuck it across the room, I couldn't win! Haha it's aitch. End of.

Liz Morgan - 13th December 2011 21:04

There are two points to consider here, 1) those who actually think it doesn't matter to say something ( or spell) incorrectly and 2) to be actually told you are incorrect and then regardlessly continue to do the wrong thing in any case. Shame on those you who think it's futile or silly to argue over the name of a letter, - it's all indicative of falling educational standards. To those who insist in continuing I say to you, do you pronounce L Lel, or M Mem, F Fef etc etc?? The sound of the letter does NOT always proceed the name. Aitch rules!!

Andy - 4th January 2012 10:00

I recently tried to spell my name over the phone to a GP's receptionist. The conversation went something like this: Me: "ess see aitch" Rcpt : "8?" Me: "no aitch" Rcpt:"8?...oh you mean haitch" Not 8, not haitch. It's aitch.

John Stevens - 9th January 2012 14:18

My number one pet hate is people who say haitch. My wife does it all the time and there's only so many times you can tell a grown woman she's wrong. Even worse, she works for Aitch Es Bee Cee and says it all the time!!

Paul Waters - 12th January 2012 14:26

For God's sake tell various BBC contributors and presenters it is aitch.

bob cox - 27th January 2012 14:05

i think that it is haitch so deal with it pleeeeaaassseee.

Bin - 29th January 2012 08:04

You hardly ever heard 'haitch' 30 years ago... And when u did, it was usually from 'lower class' / uneducated folk. Much more common now. I work in tv and often have to pull people up on their 'haitches'. Strangely, many of them are unaware they are pronouncing it differently to the majority... Like sound blindness. Also drives me nuts when people say capsicuN!

Bin2 - 29th January 2012 08:07

What pacifically is wrong with saying 'haitch' !? ;) haha boom boom

Malachy - 3rd February 2012 15:44

It is important to note that linguistic prescriptivism (e.g. declaring only standard variety english to be valid) normally reflects arrogance, elitism or a sense of cultural superiority. In Ireland /h/ is most commonly pronounced haitch. People in Ireland previously spoke Irish before the English language was imposed on them. The two languages came into contact and so hiberno-english was born. Languages change and develops as they come into contact with other language groups and cultures. Expressions such as "he/she should speak 'proper' English" quite often belie racist tendencies or at the very least a lack of openness to diversity.