The Complete Guide to English Spelling Rules (45 page)

To say that the
h
is silent in the majority of these words is not quite correct. A large number of English speakers pronounce these words with a soft, almost inaudible
h
sound before the
w.
This is neither an affectation nor a mispronunciation. It simply reflects the history of almost all of these words and proves that change can sometimes take centuries.

Our Saxon forebears spelled almost all of these words with the
h
before the
w
and pronounced them that way.

With the upheaval of the Norman invasion, the first two letters were reversed and the harsh initial
h
was softened as the emphasis was gradually put on the
w.
A thousand years later, however, many of us still pronounce these words in the old way.

Words in which the initial
h
is clearly pronounced are variations of
whole,
which did not have
a w,
or they are variations of
who,
which did not change. In some parts of
Scotland, who is still
wha.
Today, no commonly used English word begins with
hw.

Note that the
h
is a very useful letter. Countless words begin with
h
, and it can also be found in the middle of numerous words. As the final letter in a word, however, it is quite rare. If we exclude proper nouns such as
Allah, Utah, Isaiah,
and
Bar Mitzvah,
we are left with a small handful of commonly used words.

But half of these words have already lost the final
h
and are now often spelled as follows.

Note that a wide selection of interjections end in the letter
h
:

The
h
is often called a silent letter. This is partly true. When it is sounded, it is very rarely heavily aspirated. It is silent in most of the digraphs:

Note that the
h
is never doubled unless it forms part of a compound word:

C
HAPTER 48

Using
of
and
off

T
hese two words are not true homophones. The preposition
of
has a soft
v
sound, whereas the adverb
off
has a distinct
f
sound. This puts
of
in the unique position of being the only commonly used English word in which the letter
f
has the
v
sound.

The simple preposition
of
indicates some type of relationship—distance, direction, origin, material, or identity.

The adverb
off
is a much more interesting word. Not only can it be used by itself, but it can also form compounds or be used as a prefix or a suffix. It indicates movement away from, something unsupported, or separation.

Spelling rule #1:
Off
and
of
should never be used together.

Spelling rule #2.
Of
should never be used in place of
have.