Haitch

[Polidori]

I seem to hear this more and more. There's no such word as haitch. The eighth letter of the alphabet is called 'aitch'. It's not a question of region or opinion, it's just wrong. Aitch is in dictionaries. Haitch isn't.

Why is 'aitch' in the dictionary? Are all the letters in there, so 'ess' 'emm' 'enn' 'dee' etc?

Some Scottish people say Hitch.

Just wanted to join in.

Scottish people do funny things with J as well!

J-eye.

I feel like saying haitch a lot just to piss OP off. Fully knowing it's wrong. Because I can.

Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch Haitch

Aaaaaaah, feels so good!

I agree, times a million, even though I have already agreed on eleventy million identical threads on the same topic.

Someone in our HR dept answers the phone 'HAITCH R?' which makes me all irrational.

squoosh

It's Aitch. End of. Gavel.
Aitch Aitch Aitch.

Yes the letter in the alphabet is called Aitch.. But many of us say Haitch... it's really no big deal. My dc started school in September, his teacher is from the uk and even she accepts the part of the world she is teaching in say Haitch

Too funny,

Are you new to PC, OP? AIBU may be your spiritual home. It may seem a bit of a paradox, but on PC, you're unlikely to find the most knowledgeable people agreeing with you about H, or indeed a million other things. There are some very informed people (as you've noticed) and funnily enough, they don't feel the need to be arsey when their POV is disputed.

Interesting to note that although you disapprove of the "language is evolving" "thing" (linguistic reality), that doesn't extend to "loads of" (up to recently, and still in formal written English not quite acceptable)

You're welcome.

I suspect many dictionaries have prioritised "standard" (ie southern England?) English and historically see "aitch" as the normal usage, but so many other speakers of English (eg from Ireland) attest to using "haitch" that it must be recognised as a perfectly normal alternative.

So, things can be wrong in someone's English, but this doesn't appear to be one of them anymore. Just because your English teacher at school taught you it was wrong doesn't make it so (I've painfully learnt that lesson over the years!).

For those that say 'haitch' - do you also say 'harmchair', 'hambulance' and 'haeroplane'?

IT DOESN'T MATTER THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO STRESS ABOUT

That is the most stupid thing I've ever read on MN 😬 Why would H be added to words that don't have a H?

Do you say Ouse for House? Air for Hair? Ole for hole? If you do,you're wrong 😇

I always assumed that English people were dropping the 'h' because of their accent - an 'ard 'at for hard hat as they might say in Eastenders, or 'arry for Harry. I felt that aitch was a continuation of that.

People who do that coy little '' thing are so dull.

English people who say "haitch" sound thick, uneducated and rough to me. I judge them.

Irish people sound fine.

IMO, there's a class divide (and in Northern Ireland a religious one, I believe). I grew up working class, I had a teacher who frequently corrected our speech, aitch has been drummed in to me now

😂 Whatsgoingoneh

On a very closely related matter ...

Zed

^^Just going to leave that there.

Aitch all the way. Haitch sets my teeth on edge, I have to stop myself correcting people. Even auto correct knows aitch is ok, Haitch is not.

People on MN seem to have terrible dental issues. So very many things seem to set their teeth on edge or make their teeth itch. Sad!

DM went through a phase of dropping aitches to sound posh. Think 'ospital. Because, the French...

People who come on a thread with nothing to add, just to sneer at other posters are so ... Sigh.

does it make it wrong though? isnt language a fluid thing to be enjoyed? i fear you would not cope with my students mix of asian and jamaican and bedfordshire daily mix