In conclusion, the reason that the word two has the letter w in it is a combination of its historical background and origins and the relevance of different letters/pronunciation at different times. It’s also related to the ‘word family’ that it’s in, containing words such as twenty, twig and twine.
Does Answer have a silent letter?
There is no letter that silent in the word “answer”. Only the way of accent used to say ans(w)er.
Why is there no W in one but there is aw in two and we don’t use it?
Two used to be pronounced as spelled, but the /w/ was absorbed into the vowel next to it due to their similarity in sound.
Which letter is silent in doubt?
b
A silent letter is a letter that appears in a particular word but not pronounced such as the ‘b’ in ‘douBt’/daʊt /.
What letter is W in the alphabet?
Letters in the alphabet:
| Letter Number | Letter |
|---|---|
| 23 | W |
| 24 | X |
| 25 | Y |
| 26 | Z |
Why is W pronounced V in German?
The German language normally uses the letter “f” to indicate the sound /f/ (as used in the English word fight) and “w” to indicate the sound /v/ (as in victory). Originally, in Middle High German, the sound /f/ had been voiced in some dialects and was therefore written “v”.
What letter is w in the alphabet?
Why is the letter W in the word answer?
First off, thank you, everyone, for saying why the word’s spelling has a “w” in it – it used to be pronounced, then got dropped, et cetera. That’s only half the answer, though: there’s also the question of why the letter is silent. Sound changes in English can always be attributed to rules in sound change.
Why is the letter w silent in English?
That’s only half the answer, though: there’s also the question of why the letter is silent. Sound changes in English can always be attributed to rules in sound change.
Why do some words have a w before a R?
David Keogh, Bray, Co. Wicklow. DAVID KEOGH’s argument for the retention of the obsolete ‘w’ to distinguish between ‘write’ and ‘rite’, ‘wrote’ and ‘rote’ is flawed because these words show their difference easily through context and grammatical function, i.e. verb/ noun. This kind of objection to spelling reform is spurious.
How is the word w pronounced in English?
The ‘w’ is pronounced in words like “swollen”, “swoop”, “sworn” and “swore”. The W was pronounced in Old English, the pronunciation changed over time, but not the spelling. – GEdgar Jul 5 ’11 at 16:32 @Tim: ‘answer’? ‘coxswain’? ‘who’? – Mitch Jul 5 ’11 at 17:05
First off, thank you, everyone, for saying why the word’s spelling has a “w” in it – it used to be pronounced, then got dropped, et cetera. That’s only half the answer, though: there’s also the question of why the letter is silent. Sound changes in English can always be attributed to rules in sound change.
That’s only half the answer, though: there’s also the question of why the letter is silent. Sound changes in English can always be attributed to rules in sound change.
The ‘w’ is pronounced in words like “swollen”, “swoop”, “sworn” and “swore”. The W was pronounced in Old English, the pronunciation changed over time, but not the spelling. – GEdgar Jul 5 ’11 at 16:32 @Tim: ‘answer’? ‘coxswain’? ‘who’? – Mitch Jul 5 ’11 at 17:05
David Keogh, Bray, Co. Wicklow. DAVID KEOGH’s argument for the retention of the obsolete ‘w’ to distinguish between ‘write’ and ‘rite’, ‘wrote’ and ‘rote’ is flawed because these words show their difference easily through context and grammatical function, i.e. verb/ noun. This kind of objection to spelling reform is spurious.
Why is the letter W called Double U and not double V?
The answer lies in the advent of the printing press in the 15th century. Originally, it was a single double-u block or even two “v’s” if they didn’t have the less commonly used “w” block. Then, as the technology continued to progress and became more streamlined, it was replaced with a double-v block.
In particular the “o” in “two” changed so that it rhymed with “crew”. Give it a try with the “w” and this new vowel sound. It’s kind of hard to pronounce the two together, so everywhere this pattern now occured in English, the “w” was lost.
Why do we not pronounce the w in sword?
The W in two and sword is silent because of that reason (i.e. [t, s] [w] [back vowel]). Just a theory: As sword is a thing of knights and noblemen. The silent w may be due to Norman-French pronunciation habits and this pronunciation was generally accepted.
