Dear Word Spy,
I've always wondered - why is there an "h" in the word "why"?
your curious friend Bridget
Dear Bridget,
Good question! (not to mention when, where, and what). The answer is that in Old English the word "why" was actually spelled (and pronounced) "hwi" - over time we stopped saying the "h" sound, but moved the letter after the "w" - maybe people felt the word just didn't look right without it...
good wordy wishes from The Word Spy
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