# Do you aspirate your aitches? Is it pretentious to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 24, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021 "2024-05-24T13:33:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/1 "2024-05-24T13:33:32Z")
Do you pronounce “where” identically with “wear”? One of my favorite jokes is the one about the American who overhears two hefty women talking and asks them “Do you ladies come from England?” and they answer “Wales” so he corrects himself and says “Sorry. Do you whales come from England?” This is a sexist, fat-shaming joke, so I shouldn’t laugh but I do, and the whole premise is based on Americans making no distinction between the aspirated “H” and the unaspirated “H.” Do you pronounce “why” the same exact way you pronounce the river Wye? Does it seem affected to do so? I’m not sure if I say “What?” as if it were spelled “Wot?” It’s a subtle distinction, though I’m unsure if most people perceive it as a distinction at all. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/2 "2024-05-24T13:47:30Z")
How do you get two whales in a car? Drive over the Severn Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/3 "2024-05-24T13:53:29Z")
> [@GailForce](#): > > Do you pronounce “where” identically with “wear”? Yes. > [@GailForce](#): > > Do you pronounce “why” the same exact way you pronounce the river Wye? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/4 "2024-05-24T13:58:23Z")
A poll seems appropriate. **Do you pronounce “wh” (as in “where”) differently from “w” (as in “wear”)?** _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/4))_ ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/5 "2024-05-24T14:44:46Z")
Don’t start that Cool Hwip nonsense again. 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/6 "2024-05-24T14:53:43Z")
My father always did the hw- thing. He thought everybody should. I don’t know about pretentious, but it drove me faintly crazy. Ulf, dedicated wh/w mixer upper ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/7 "2024-05-24T14:54:05Z")
W and wh are identical to me and it does sound pretentious to say them differently. Like the post above, it always makes me think of Stewie Griffin making fun of that exaggerated pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/8 "2024-05-24T14:56:28Z")
I also say Mary and merry exactly the same. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/9 "2024-05-24T14:57:01Z")
W and wh are pronounced identically. And anyone who says otherwise is a dumb poopy head! ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/10 "2024-05-24T14:59:28Z")
As I’ve mentioned in other threads, I was taught in 2nd or 3rd grade, or thereabouts, that “w” and “wh” should be pronounced differently. If I ever followed that instruction, I don’t anymore and haven’t for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/11 "2024-05-24T15:10:35Z")
I don’t even understand why any woman would be worried about a beer in the woods. Sounds good! Being bare with an unknown man, sure … 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/12 "2024-05-24T15:14:45Z")
No I do not, and people who do are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/13 "2024-05-24T15:17:58Z")
As a graduate from a fine-arts acting school, pronunciations like these (including the Mary != merry mentioned above) were hammered into me over several years of speech training. If it makes me sound pretentious, too bad. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/14 "2024-05-24T15:18:57Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > If it makes me sound pretentious, too bad. Meanwhile, I _am_ pretentious, but do not sound like it. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/15 "2024-05-24T16:52:02Z")
The mark of serious pretension! ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/16 "2024-05-24T17:00:27Z")
Pretentious? **Moi?** ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/17 "2024-05-24T17:10:17Z")
Never thought about it, but yeah, I asperate the ‘h’. Anything else just sounds wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/18 "2024-05-24T17:13:47Z")
Did you just roll your _R_ In _wrong_ ? ☺ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/19 "2024-05-24T17:15:15Z")
_Mai oui, madam_! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2024, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/20 "2024-05-24T17:15:54Z")
I love it when you talk like that! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021.md?page=2)